At the Stroke of Twelve
by The.Hogwarts.Train.To.Anywhere
Summary: Rose Weasley's life was like that of any fifteen-year-old witchs, nothing out of the ordinarily ever happened to her. That is until she returns to Hogwarts for her sixth year. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday something happens that alters her life entirely. As the clock struck twelve that fateful night the ancient Soul Bonding curse awoke and Rose was left reeling in its wake.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a note to everyone before you start reading this story. I want to tell you that I've written this in British English, so things will be spelt differently than they are in America. Words like gray, mom, color... Ect, are spelt like grey, mum colour. Just wanted to let you all know that any words spelt differently are just the way the British spell them.**

 **Note 2: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **A BIG thanks to SunriseImagination for being my Beta for this story.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **November 18th**

 **Monday**

 **~oOo~**

Rose Weasley closed her Charms book and set her quill down with a sigh, grateful it was finally over. She rubbed her tired eyes, trying to stay awake just long enough to pack up her things, then head off to bed and get the sleep she longed for. She leaned back in her chair, stretching and covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned. Rose trained her eyes down and blinked blearily at the old silver watch that was strapped to her wrist.

It was nearly midnight.

Once again she had stayed up far longer then she should have. Last night it had been two before she had slumped into her bed, tonight was early in comparison.

Standing on unsteady legs Rose slowly started to roll up her newly finished Charms essay, mentally cursing herself again for forgetting that the essay was due in the morning.

She never forgot to do homework but this essay had completely slipped her mind. If Ashley, one of her dormmate, hadn't mentioned it at the last moment Rose would have walked into Charms without it.

With everything going on these days, maybe it wasn't a surprise that she had forgotten her homework. She had been too ambitious this year, thinking she could do more than the years before just because she was older.

The harder classes of sixth year were almost enough to keep her going constantly, but she had just had to throw in everything else: Prefect duties, Quidditch, tutoring younger students, volunteering to help the professors, working with Hagrid. They were all draining her of any energy she had left after a day of classes. And then she was still keeping an eye on her cousin Albus and his idiot friends.

Rose knew that soon she wouldn't be able to keep up with everything. She had been going almost constantly for a little over two months now. She was exhausted. But she had never been one to back down from a challenge. She was determined to try and balance everything out, but the strain of always doing something was getting to her.

"Dammit," Rose muttered angerly as she dropped a few quills on the floor, quills which promptly rolled under her table.

Grumbling she got down on her hands and knees and crawled under the table after her quills. She had just grabbed the last one that had rolled under the far chair when she heard voices and the soft sound of feet on the stairs.

Rose froze and after a second hesitation peaked out from under the red tablecloth. The voices grew slightly louder along with the sound of footsteps. Rose soon figured out that they were coming from the boys' staircase.

Her eyes narrowed and she let out a frustrated breath as two boys stepped into the common room, the dying light of the fire illuminating their faces.

Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy stood there, both grinning like they'd won the Quidditch World Cup, and both dressed in matching black cloaks and boots. Rose felt like hexing her cousin and his moron friend. Judging by their clothes and what Rose knew about them as people they hadn't come down to the common room to sit around the fire roasting marshmallows while talking about the good old days.

No. They were obviously up to something.

"Good, no one's awake," Albus said quietly glancing around the common room.

"Of course, no ones awake." Malfoy scoffed, rolling his eyes at his friend. "It's almost midnight on a school night, every good rule-abiding boy and girl are up in their dorms sleeping. Which is why we're doing this now." Malfoy smirk seemed particularly mischievous in the firelight. Rose had to resist hexing that smirk off his face.

"Yeah, but I thought maybe Rose would be down here. She's been up late working the past few days." Al and Scorpius started to walk across the common room toward the portrait hole.

But then Malfoy suddenly stopped, making Al look at him. "What?"

A chuckle emanated from Malfoy as he bent and picked up an old tattered book from the side table next to the dying fire. It was thick, with multiple pieces of paper sticking out at odd angles from under the dark blue cover.

Rose gritted her teeth in frustration. She recognized the book. It was her school planner, the one she had been writing in since first year. Her mother had given it to her before she left for Hogwarts for the first time.

Hermione had had it custom made for Rose and it was fine-tuned to her needs. Its pages would magically multiply when there was a need for more space. Currently, every page inside was covered in her neat elegant handwriting, detailing what was due when and what she had to do that day and about a week after. She had left it on the side table that evening after looking through it and adding a few reminders to its many pages, forgetting to grab it when she went to study.

Albus came to stand next to Malfoy as the blond turned the book about in his hands, looking at both sides before flipping it open to the first page, where, Rose knew, he would find her name embossed in gold lettering.

"Hey, that's Rose's organizer," Albus said, staring at his cousin's name on the page.

Malfoy let out a short laugh as he looked at the book and it's erratic pages sticking out everywhere, "I think your cousin might need a different plan of organization."

Albus frowned, "Why? She's been using that thing for years. Plus she hands in every assignment so it must be helping something."

"Yeah, except she left it down here. In the common room. Where anyone could find and take it. Not very organized if you ask me."

Rose glared at what little she could see of him from under the table. Hoping maybe his sleeve would catch fire so he'd get his hands off her book!

But violence wasn't needed in the end because just then Al reached out and took the book from Malfoy and gently put it back down on the table.

"Rose is just stressed Scor. She's got a lot on her plate. Cut her a bit of slack."

Malfoy raised his hands in surrender, "You don't gotta lecture me, Al, I know full well Weasley's got a lot to do. I'm just saying she might want to cut back, she's always studying, always rushing about. I don't think I've seen her just doing nothing since last year. She's going to burn herself out if she doesn't slow down. Maybe you should talk to her, try and get her to drop something?"

Al sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "Yeah except you know how Rose is. The only person that can get her to slow down is her." He then shrugged his left shoulder and rubbed the side of his neck. "We should get going, the teachers will start patrolling soon and we still have to walk there."

Rose didn't hear what Malfoy said next because they had both turned and walked the last few steps across the common room, climbed out of the portrait hole, and were gently closing it behind them by the time Albus finished talking.

Rose scrambled out from under the table just as the door closed. Grabbing her cloak that was hanging over the back of her chair she sprinted to the portrait hole, throwing the heavy garment on over her school robes as she went. She glanced at her planner as she passed but decided she would just grab it when she got back.

Very quietly, Rose climbed through the portrait hole and pushed opened the Fat Lady's painting gently. Peaking around the frame, she could just make out the retreating forms of Albus and Malfoy in the dark. She hopped out into the hall and was instantly grateful for her cloak as the freezing air of the castle surrounded her.

Rose closed the portrait hole door behind her and was relieved to see that the Fat Lady was still sleeping in her frame, humming as she dreamed. Hugging her cloak tightly around her, Rose took off after the boys.

The halls were cold like always, the freezing November air seemed to just pour in from the cracks and gaps in the stone, making every corridor just as cold as it was outside the walls. Rose stayed in the shadows, making sure to keep out of sight and never venturing into the light the lit torches provided. She followed the two Gryffindors from a distance, ducking into alcoves or classrooms when either one of them looked over their shoulder or around them.

They didn't meet anyone as they walked through corridors and downstairs. Not that Rose found this strange, all the prefects were in their dorms sleeping at this hour, patrols having ended at elven like normal and none of the teachers would be on duty yet.

After walking down six staircases and too many halls to count, the boys came to a stop in front of the large stained-glass window close to the Great Hall. From where she stood hidden behind a statue, Rose could just make out the doors leading into the Great Hall along with the hourglasses that held the glowing house points.

Both teens looked up at the large stained window and Rose did the same. She had always loved that window. It was quite beautiful with two large white unicorns rearing on their hind legs, their heads bowed slightly and their horns just touching at the tips. Their manes flowed majestically down their necks with golden strands of hair mixed in with the glowing white ones. And there in the middle, between their bodies was the symbol of peace in the Wizarding World. Wings enveloping a wand.

Rose picked up on what the boys were doing before they even got started. She felt her cheeks flushed with anger at the thought. They were planning on transfiguring that beautiful window, she could feel it in her bones, like a sixth sense. While Rose had no doubt that what they wanted to change it into would be very funny, she wasn't about to let them ruin such a wonderful stained-glass window just for their own entertainment.

Albus was raising his wand, saying something to Malfoy as he did so, both of them grinning like the idiots they were, when-

"Albus Severus Potter. You get away from that window this minute!" Rose demanded quite loudly as she stepped out of the shadows, her brilliantly blue eyes sparkling with anger as she glared at them, her wand held in her one hand the other on her hip.

Albus and Malfoy both jumped when Rose spoke, and she knew they hadn't known she had followed them. Al whipped around to confront whoever had spoken and took a step back when he caught sight of Rose. He knew that when her eyes sparked with anger like that, he was in trouble.

"Rosie!" He greeted cheerfully grinning nervously at Rose as he hid his wand behind his back.

Rose's eyes narrowed.

"Don't you 'Rosie' me Albus Potter. I know what you two were doing," Rose said as she walked towards the two boys. Malfoy and Albus shared a look then turned back to Rose.

"Whatever do you mean Weasley?" Malfoy asked his voice as calm and collected as ever. "We were just taking a stroll around the castle." While Malfoy faked looking innocent and slightly confused, doing a good job at it too, Albus looked like a scared cat. He had never been very good at masking his emotions. Not very useful when he tried to lie his way out of detentions.

"Don't play games Malfoy, one look at Albus' face tells me you were up to something and I have a good guess as to what that was." Rose and Malfoy glared at each other for a minute before he huffed and said, "Fine," Knowing they were caught.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for being out past curfew. You're lucky you didn't touch that window or it'd be another twenty. Each." Rose said.

"Come on Rose, twenty points?" Al moaned as he watched the red rubies fly out of the Gryffindor hourglass. This made them only five points ahead of Slytherin, but still in the lead.

"You should be glad it isn't more," Rose snapped. "If I were a teacher you'd both get detentions. You should be glad that it's me and not the Headmistress. I hear she's not very happy with you two."

The boys glared at her.

Albus and Malfoy had been given detention so many times over the years that Rose had lost count. They were both constantly causing trouble, it seemed like not a day went by without them blowing up something or pranking the other students and sometimes even the teachers.

They were not alone in their trouble-making though, something the teachers despaired over. At the start of their first year at Hogwarts, both Malfoy and Albus had joined The Gremlins.

The Gremlins were a sort of gang at Hogwarts, only a select few were in the group and it was considered a great honour to be counted as one of them. The group had been started by Ted Lupin back when he was at Hogwarts, and when he left it had just continued on. So even though he had been gone from Hogwarts for six years, the group still existed, continuing on his legacy of trouble making.

It had ten members, most of whom were either a Weasley or a Potter but there were others. Over the years Rose had stopped many of their smaller pranks, much to their annoyance. It had become second nature to sniff out their plans. Because of this, Rose was used to sneaking out past hours after them. But, unlike them, she was allowed to be out past hours being a Prefect.

"I suggest you both get back to the common room right now before the Headmistress does catch you outside after hours."

"Yes, ma'am," Malfoy said sarcastically, earning him a piercing glare from Rose.

Together the three started to walk back to the Gryffindor common room, Rose walking slightly behind the two boys. All the way there Al was grumbling under his breath about how Rose was overreacting and how she wasn't any fun and how she had ruined their surprise.

She just ignored him.

After a few moments of walking in silence, Rose glanced down at her watch again and saw that there were only about ten minutes until midnight.

"Wonderful," Rose said in a low voice. "It's almost midnight and instead of being asleep right now I'm out here keeping you two skrewts from ruining school property."

Malfoy turned to face Rose suddenly, something she hadn't anticipated and to avoid colliding with his chest she tumbled back into a wall. The blonde moved forward a step, efficiently blocking Rose in. If she wanted out, she would need to get by him. That, or break through a stone wall behind her. Neither option sounded appealing.

He tilted his head towards her and said in a low voice, "Love, no one asked you to come out here and follow us, you did that all on your own, so kindly don't start complaining about losing your beauty sleep."

Malfoy had many things he called Rose. His favourites were love and Weasley, but there was also sweetheart and other variations on the same theme. And each and every one of them made Rose want to hex him. She could feel her temper rising, the blood warming her cheeks. It would only take a second to pull her wand from her back pocket and her hand twitched at the temptation.

But her annoyance soon dissipated just as quickly as it had come, and her cheeks warmed some more. The clouds outside had finally passed, and the light of the moon suddenly fell through the window illuminating Malfoy's face. Rose was struck by how the silvery light made his already pale skin even lighter. His features were somehow softer, his white blonde hair silken and wild, and his eyes were like a storm sparkling brightly with flecks of blue and grey.

He was gorgeous.

Then he smirked, as though he knew just what Rose was thinking and the spell was broken. She set her jaw, annoyed at her hormonal teenage body for even taking the slightest notice of Malfoy's attractiveness.

So what if his smile could melt even the coldest heart? So what if his eyes were completely mesmerizing? So what if he was tall and fit and completely sexy in every way? He was an arse and that made him completely unsexy in Rose's eyes. Nope his strong lean body so close to her did nothing to her.

Absolutely nothing.

"You two were going to ruin that window. In doing so you broke multiple school rules and you have some nerve to lecture me!" Rose was proud that her voice came out normal and not a high squeak at him being to so close.

"Sweetheart, what Al and I do is none of your bloody business." All thoughts of how handsome Malfoy was evaporated from Rose's mind and all that was left was a need to slap the smirk off his stupid face.

"It is my bloody business Malfoy. As his cousin, I will not see him expelled for something so stupid. You are both walking on such extremely thin ice right not it's not even funny. And" Rose crossed her arms and glared more fiercely at the boy in front of her. "If it isn't any of my business what you and Al get up too, then how is what I do any of yours?"

Malfoy threw up his hands in exasperation, she always brought this up. Always. Really she took any chance to throw it in their faces, to point out the injustice. Rose was talking about the fact that she had never once had a real boyfriend.

This was not due to anything Rose did. No, this was all because of her male family and their friends. Over the years many boys had asked Rose out. However, each and every one of them had somehow mysteriously ended up in the hospital wing not too long after the fact.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening and Rose's suspicions were only confirmed when she had come upon them threatening a boy over asking her to Hogsmeade.

Rose's male cousins were all very protective of her and any other female relative. Once, Al had tackled a guy for checking out his sister, Lily, bloody tackled him like he was a rugby all-star.

It wasn't normal. No one went to the extremes that they did. And she couldn't for the life of her figure out why they did it.

All Rose knew was that every guy that had even talked to her in a flirty way pretty much never talked to her again out of fear for their lives. Every time this happened, Rose's cousins would walk around looking far too pleased with themselves for a day or two.

What Rose hated, even more than just the fact that they were doing it, was that Malfoy was always there with them. Looking ready to murder any guy that so much looked at Rose, it annoyed her that he interfered in her personal life when he had no right to.

She couldn't bloody talk to a guy without putting him in danger!

It wasn't as if Rose or her other female cousins went around tackling every girl that batted her lashes at the boys. All of Rose's male cousins could do whatever they wanted while Rose, Lily, Roxanne, and Lucy were all supposed to be good girls and stay far away from the opposite gender.

"That's different," Malfoy said it like it was obvious.

"How on earth is that different?" Rose wanted to yell but seeing as they were in the middle of a corridor, out far past curfew, which really wasn't the best place to have this conversation, she went for the next best thing. A hushed voice that made sure her fury came through clearly.

"What we do is protecting you, and what your doing is just irritating. I mean really Rose, sneaking out of the tower after us?" Albus said talking for the first time since Rose's and Malfoy's argument started.

Rose very much wanted to point out that both Al and Malfoy would have done the same thing if they saw Rose leaving the dorm in the middle of the night. They probably would have gone one step further and nicked James's Map and Invisibility Cloak just to make sure she didn't see them. And James wouldn't have even got mad with Al for taking his stuff seeing as Albus was 'Protecting' Rose from the big bad, non-existent, boyfriend.

Rose felt like pulling out her hair in frustration. "Protecting me! Protecting me from what? From having a life? From enjoying myself? From being a normal fifteen-year of girl? For Merlin's sake Albus, what on earth does chasing off every guy that gets near me protect me from?" Rose threw up her arms in irritation, she had asked him this so many times she had lost count.

"I don't want you getting hurt Rose and that's what any guy is going to do. Hurt you," Al said his voice soft and calm.

Albus always made this point when they argued, and Rose had to admit that some of the boys that had asked her out had turned out to not be the best boyfriend material. But still, Rose didn't appreciate her family chasing away every guy she wanted to give a chance. There had to be at least one guy that was smart, funny, kind, and a real gentleman. But obviously, Rose's family didn't think anyone was good enough to date her.

"You can't protect me forever Al, sooner or later someone is going to hurt me and you can't stop that from happening by beating up every guy I come in contact with. You are not fixing anything. When someone eventually does break my heart, I would rather have it happen here where I have all my family and friends, than when I've left this place and I'm on my own. I'm capable of protecting myself. I don't need you hexing every guy that asks me out. So please, just stop." Rose held Albus's gaze for a long moment until he finally looked away and nodded stiffly.

"Thank you," Rose breathed though she knew that Al's promise wouldn't last, he usually made this type of promise in these arguments but he couldn't seem to keep them.

"But if he hurts you I will hex his legs off," Al said and Rose just rolled her eyes. There wasn't even a 'he' yet, probably never would be at this rate, and Al was already planning to send him to the hospital wing.

"There will probably be a line," Rose thought of all her friends and family fighting about who got to hex the guy first. She definitely felt sorry for anyone that was on the receiving end of all their anger.

Malfoy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Weasley I'm not going to let there be a line because there isn't going to be a _him_ to hurt you."

Rose's anger flared up again and she turned to him.

"Excuse me?! Who the hell do you think you are? You are not my family or my friend so you have absolutely no say in any of this! I can do what I like Malfoy. I am sick and tired of you always butting in. Albus is different, he is allowed to be protective, even if it's to the extreme. You though, you have no right to say who I get to date."

Malfoy just shook his head. "Love, there is no way in hell that I'm letting you date any of the trolls in this school and the minute you even start thinking about it, Albus here and all your family are going to be out for blood like always."

"Why would you even care if I dated someone? Just because you're Albus's best mate doesn't mean you get to mettle in my personal life. I'll say it again because it didn't seem to sink in the first time. Who I date or spend my time with is none of your bloody business Malfoy."

Malfoy moved closer to her again and for those few moments, it was only them. Only them, their anger, and their will to be the one that came out on top. When Malfoy spoke next it was soft, slow, and calculated, like he was thinking about every word before he said it.

"Albus is my brother, Weasley, on that first day when we became friends I practically became related to you. There is no way in hell I'm letting you get hurt. Like the rest of your family, I'm going to protect you whether you want me to or not."

Rose just stood then blinking owlishly at him, trying to find words. Malfoy? Protecting her? There was something seriously wrong with the world. She had never heard him say something like that.

Rose and Malfoy were alike in some ways. She, like Malfoy, loved Quidditch and played on the Gryffindor team. Rose was the best seeker since Harry, and Malfoy was a fantastic Chaser, she could admit that. They both were also top in their class, handing in every homework assignment and often doing extra credit papers. But where Rose was focused and driven in everything she did, Malfoy tended to fool around. Rose couldn't remember the last time she saw him study, and at practice, he tended to be a distraction more than an asset to the team.

They were alike in the sense that they had similar interests, but apart from that Rose didn't think two people could be more different.

To say that they were as good as related angered Rose, and she really didn't know why. If she was being honest with herself, Malfoy all in all wasn't too bad. Compared to some of the other students at Hogwarts he was a right gentleman. He had been raised right and at the end of the day, he was a good person. Rose wasn't so blinded in her dislike for him that she couldn't see that. No matter how much of an arse she thought he was. But the fact that Malfoy felt it was his duty to protect Rose did not sit well with her.

It was one thing to have her family 'protecting' her, but Malfoy wasn't related to her. He wasn't even her friend. Rose detested Malfoy and had since first year. She had always thought he despised her right back. Now he thought that he had to protect her? To rescue her?

It made no sense.

"Malfoy I'm going to say this once," Rose said after she had got her head around what he had said. "I tolerate you because of my cousins. Nothing else. You are not a part of my family, no matter who you're mates with. Coming over for Christmas and summer break makes you a guest, not family. I don't need or want you to protect me. I have family and friends that do that and since you are neither I would appreciate it if you just leave me alone. Unless you are suddenly related to me by blood, you are and never will be family to me."

Malfoy looked down at Rose for a long moment his grey eyes sparkling in a way Rose had never seen and a soft smile formed on his lips replacing his usual smirk. Finally, in a low voice he said "Love, there's more to family than just blood."

Before Rose could say anything to that remark, the hall was filled with a loud bang. Rose, having patrolled the halls many times before, knew that it was the large grandfather clock the next corridor over.

For some reason, all of them stayed silent as the clock ticked off the hour, looking down the hall as the sound echoed off the walls.

 _One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven._

But Rose never heard the clock bring in the next day. At the twelfth bang, the hall was filled with a blinding white light and Rose felt a sharp stab of pain in her chest right where her heart was. She let out a scream at its sudden appearance and could hear another's cry of agony. Then suddenly she could feel her feet leaving the ground, completely out of her control.

She was floating, writhingin the agony that filled her.

Rose's eyes seemed to be glued shut, she couldn't open them to see what was happening around her. As she slowly drifted upwards, she was aware of only the pain that was quickly spreading all over her body, into every limb. Rose thought she heard someone yelling her name, but the pain seemed to dull all her senses and she couldn't hear or move or even think.

Her body was as stiff as a rod and she felt her heavy cloak slip from her shoulder and the cold night air rush to surround her through the thin fabric of her school robes. Then, a weird sensation came over Rose. It felt as if a part of her had suddenly left her body. Like the part that kept her human, kept her from just being a mindless, living corpse. had left her body. She was leaving her body but could still feel it at the same time, she was still aware of the cold surrounding her but it was dimmed as whatever it was moved further away.

The last thing Rose felt was a warm hand covering her own shaking fingers, holding on tight. And Rose found herself gripping the hand just as tightly. It felt as if it would be alright if only she held this warm strong hand in her own. So doing the only thing she could, Rose gripped the hand with all her strength, holding tight as another, stronger, wave of pain swept over her. Even as she screamed she felt herself starting to give into it, felt herself slipping away as the pain overwhelmed her.

Then her world abruptly went black.

 **~oOo~**

 **Hey, guys. I hope you liked this first chapter, I've had this idea for a long time and have finally decided to post it and see what you all think. In the next chapter, I'll explain everything and this will make more sense but for now, I hope you liked the beginning of my new story.**

 **This is my first Harry Potter FanFiction so I hope this turns out well. I'll be updating every Friday or Saturday, I haven't decided yet but I'll let you know.**

 **I hope you liked it and please review and tell me what you think, I love hearing your feedback.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Cara**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: I've written this in British English, so things will be spelt differently than they are in America. Words like gray, mom, color... Ect, are spelt like grey, mum colour. Just wanted to let you all know that any words spelt differently are just the way the British spell them.**

 **Note 2: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **Now on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 2**

 **November 19th**

 **Tuesday**

 **~oOo~**

Rose was slowly coming too, her mind gradually waking up from the deep sleep she was in. The first thing that she registered was the pain, her body ached like she had pulled every conceivable muscle, and forced to run two miles. She didn't move, she barely breathed, she just lied there on what she thought might be a bed and tried to take in her surroundings by touch and hearing only. Not wanting to risk pain by opening her eyes.

Her brain seemed to be trying to wake up, not very successfully because while she could faintly hear voices she couldn't make out what they were saying.

She took a breath and focused hard on figuring out what was going on. She was lying on her side and she could feel a heavy pressure that was mostly a blanket, pulled up until it was covering her just under her arms. She also realized that she was resting her head and arm on something that wasn't a pillow. It was firm and seemed to radiate heat. It also seemed to be moving, gently rising and falling.

It didn't take her long to register that the thing she was lying on was a person, and by the feel of the toned chest and strong arm that was currently wrapped loosely around her waist, she guessed that it was a male person. The second she realized this, the sluggish rational part of her mind screamed at her to pull away while another part, one Rose hadn't thought she had, told her that by staying near this guy she'd be warm and safe and it would somehow help with the pain she was feeling.

So instead of scrambling away, Rose pulled herself closer to the person. She wrapped her arm more tightly around him and pulled herself closer to his side. She even wrapped one of her legs around his making sure that she was as close to this person as she could get.

Rose's brain seemed to sharpen with the closer proximity to this person and voices started to come into focus.

"-But how is this going to work?" Rose thought she recognized the warm female voice even though it was tight with worry and concern.

"We're going to do everything in our power to help them, but as you know this is permanent. There is no way to stop what is happening," Rose recognized the strong authoritative voice of Headmistress McGonagall.

"But Professor, they're going to bloody kill each other! You know how they are!" That was definitely Albus, Rose would know his voice anywhere.

"That is why we need to keep an eye on them, Mr Potter. I am very aware of the tension between Miss Weasley and Mr Malfoy. Having witnessed one of their more heated arguments myself."

The Headmistress was talking about the fight that had broken out between Rose and Malfoy in the middle of breakfast not too long ago. Jessy Woodwork, a Hufflepuff seventh year and a boy Rose had secretly had a crush on since fifth year had asked Rose if she would go to Hogsmeade with him.

Rose had agreed.

The joy hadn't lasted long though because the next day Rose was informed that he was in the hospital wing with a strange array of hexes. When she had gone to see if he was alright, he had told her that he couldn't go to Hogsmeade with her anymore. He was kind about it, telling her that he was sorry, but giving no explanation as to why he had to cancel.

Rose figured it out instantly and had taken off the Great Hall to murder her bloody cousins.

Rose had burst into the Great Hall practically seeing red she was so angry. The confident grins on her cousin's faces had quickly vanished at the sight of her stalking towards them with her wand held tightly in her shaking hand. Rose had ended up hexing only Malfoy that day, and not every single one of her deserving cousins, but not after a very heated yelling match between the pair.

Malfoy had been yelling about how Woodwork was an arrogant skrewt and how she could do better, and Rose had been yelling about how _he_ was the arrogant skrewt not Jessy and that he had no right to tell her who she could date.

It had ended with Malfoy saying, "Love, we know what's best for you."

Rose had snapped. That Malfoy thought he knew what was best for her, or any other Weasley/Potter girl, was one step too far. So before the teachers or her cousins could stop her, Rose had sent a few hexes at Malfoy that rivalled the ones Jessy was currently adorning, turned on her heels, and walked out of the Great Hall.

To her surprise, she hadn't received a detention for hexing a student. Instead, she had gotten a strong warning from the Headmistress that if it happened again she would get detention for a month.

Rose pushed her thoughts aside and snuggled up closer to the warm body. She let out a small sigh of contentment as the pain eased a bit more. The peace did not last because the minute the sigh escaped her lips, a soft rumbling sound came from the person she was curled up against.

Rose heard the person let out a soft laugh that obviously got the attention of the adults because the conversation stopped abruptly and Rose heard the sound of many footsteps moving towards where she and the unknown person lay.

"Rose you're awake!" Rose heard her mum say at the same time as another lady asked, "Scorpius are you alright?"

It clicked in Rose's mind in an instant. The person she was half lying on was Malfoy!

Rose jerked away from Malfoy, forgetting all about how sore she was and almost fell off the small bed she was laying in before catching herself in the nick of time. She pulled away and sat up so fast that the pain in her head that had been nothing but a dull pounding a moment ago tripled. It felt like someone had just hit her in the head with a brick.

"Malfoy what the hell?" Rose managed to gasp angrily as she untangled their legs and arms making the pain intensify.

What in Merlin's name was going on?

Malfoy's only answer was a low groan of pain as he struggled to sit up. Rose matched it a second later as it felt like someone had just punched her, hard, in the stomach. Rose's eyes which she had opened a second ago to look at Malfoy were now shut tightly against the pain. She leaned up against the cold metal headboard behind her and crossed her arms protectively over her stomach, trying and failing to stop the waves of pain that were crashing over her.

"Merlin," Rose groaned as it started to feel like someone was continually beating her stomach.

"What the bloody hell did you do Weasley?" Malfoy asked through gritted teeth next to her.

"Nothing," Rose snapped back weakly.

"Rose. Rosie are you alright?" Rose heard her mum ask even through the pain.

"Please," Rose gasped "Make it stop!" She groaned and doubled over a bit as a stronger wave of pain washed over her. She felt a bit faint from the intensity of it.

"Madam Pomfrey, they're awake!" Rose heard her mum's voice call a bit frantically.

"Good lord, what on earth do they think they're doing?" Madam Pomfrey sounded exasperated and worried at the same time. "Miss. Weasley, you need to lie back down next to Mr Malfoy."

Rose couldn't be sure she had heard right. What would lying down next to Malfoy fix? "What?" She asked her voice tight with pain.

"Lie back down next to Mr Malfoy before you both pass out from the pain." Rose decided right there that the old nurse had completely lost it.

"Why. The. Hell. Would. That. HELP?!" Rose asked gasping for breath after every word. The last word came out more of a scream than anything due to the pain the crashed over her again. Next to her, Malfoy let out a similar sound of pain.

"For heaven's sake, you're going to pass out! Rose just lie down!" That was Rose's mum. Rose had to conclude that Madam Pomfrey wasn't the only one who had lost her mind.

"Rosie please!" Rose heard her father's desperate voice but she knew that it must be her brain playing tricks. Ron Weasley would never encourage his daughter to go anywhere near a boy. To think he was pleading with Rose to cuddle up to Malfoy was insane. Rose knew how much he detested the boy.

"For Merlin's sake, Weasley... Just-" Malfoy's sentence was cut off with a cry of pain. Rose didn't move, even if she wanted too she didn't think she could. Every move Rose made seemed to make the pain worse.

"I... I can't breathe.." Rose gasped trying to take a breath, but just opening her mouth hurt like hell, let alone breathing. Her lungs ached for more air and her throat burned with pain.

Rose thought she heard Madam Pomfrey saying something to Malfoy but she couldn't be sure, all she really heard was the blood pounding in her ear.

Next thing she knew Rose felt the bed shifting next to her. She heard Malfoy's gasps of pain, then suddenly she felt his arm encircling her waist tightly and pulling her close to him. It was as though Rose had downed an anti-pain portion. The second his hand had touched her the pain dulled slightly, and when he pulled her close to him so that her back was pressed up against his chest, it almost vanished completely.

She was so relieved that it had stopped she didn't even try to pull away from him.

Rose took deep breaths filling her aching lungs with much needed air. She found herself wrapping her arms around Malfoy and pulling him close which dulled the pain even more. Rose's eyes were still closed tightly as she rested her forehead against Malfoy's neck and shoulder. All she had the strength to do was hold onto Malfoy. She didn't even have the strength to feel embarrassed at the way she was clutching onto him when there was obviously people watching.

They stayed like that for a minute leaning against the headboard, both of them gripping each other like their lives depended on it. No one talked as Rose and Malfoy caught their breath and their heartbeats slowed to a somewhat normal pace.

"What in Merlin's name just happened?" She asked still slightly breathless.

"Couldn't tell you, sweetheart, but I hope it doesn't happen again," Malfoy answered.

"Would you quit calling me that already? I'm not your sweetheart."

Malfoy just gave a breathless laugh.

"Alright, love."

Worth a try. Rose scowled. He would never stop calling her that. He hadn't stopped for six years, why would he now?

"Well now that the danger of you two passing out is over, we can get down to business," Madam Pomfrey said and Rose opened her eyes.

She was, as she had guessed, in the hospital wing. She had been there a few times, but even if she had never set foot in the place it would have been easy to identify.

Rose looked around in confusion, pulling away from Malfoy a little only to settle back down next to him when some of the pain came back in a small wave.

She was already getting annoyed with this, and she didn't even know what this was.

"Why do I have a feeling that something's seriously wrong here?" Rose asked cautiously as she looked at the people surrounding their bed.

Ron, Hermione, and Hugo were standing by Rose's side while Malfoy's parents stood next to him. Al was also there, standing at the foot of their bed, and next to him was the Headmistress and, of course, Madam Pomfrey and her assistant.

"I don't know, love. Your wonderful intuition?"

"I wasn't asking you," Rose snapped.

"Right well," Madam Pomfrey said looking between them. "Let me just check you two out, then we'll get on with explanations."

It didn't take long, Madam Pomfrey checked Malfoy while her assistant dealt with Rose. All they really did was wave their wands over the two and ask how they felt.

"Like hell," Rose and Malfoy answered at the same time, and Rose scowled while Malfoy smirked at her.

"That's to be expected," Madam Pomfrey said nodding.

"How does Miss Weasley look?" Madam Pomfrey asked her assistant after they had finished waving their wands around and muttering under their breath.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw her parents tense up like they were waiting for something.

"Breathing is good, her heartbeat is a little higher than normal but steady. From what I can tell she's fine." The young assistant, who introduced herself as Malory, said smiling warmly at Rose.

"Yes well..." Madam Pomfrey said and Rose saw Malfoy's mother pale, all colour draining from her face.

"Is Scorpius alright?" She asked, her voice clearly showing how worried she was. Mr Malfoy placed a calming hand on her shoulder though he looked just as anxious.

"Mum, I'm fine. Really, just a bit sore is all," Malfoy said his voice very gentle as he gave his mum an easy smile. Rose was surprised that he had it in him to be so gentle.

Why can't he be like that all the time? Rose thought.

"Don't worry Mrs Malfoy, it isn't Scorpius I'm worried about," Madam Pomfrey said looking up and meeting Rose's parent's eyes. Hermione let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. Rose thought could see tears form in her eyes.

Rose hated it when people cried, it made her uncomfortable.

"Mum, I'm-" Rose started to say, reaching out a comforting hand to take her mum's hand but both Hermione, Ron, and Hugo quickly moved away from Rose's outstretched hand. Hermione shook her head trying to keep her tears at bay as she stared at Rose with large panic filled hazel eyes.

"Miss Weasley, you cannot touch anyone," Madam Pomfrey said quickly looking at Rose's outstretched hand as though it might blowup at any second.

Rose looked at Malfoy in confusion, he was definitely touching her and nothing had happened. "Why in Merlin's name not? What's going on?" Rose asked, feeling more confused than ever.

"We will get to that in a moment but please don't touch anyone," After a moment of staring at the nurse intensely, Rose nodded mutely and leaned back against Malfoy easing the pain again.

What was going on?

"So...So Rose is the Lead then," Hermione said choking a bit on her tears but managing to talk all the same.

"I'm afraid so, as you know I was hoping Mr Malfoy would be the Lead since it's almost always the male and generally easier on them. But it seems, this time, it's the female. Which would explain why Mr. Malfoy was the one that could move and not Miss. Weasley. Miss Weasley is indeed the Lead." Madam Pomfrey said sighing. Rose just looked at her in confusion.

"Would someone please explain what's wrong?" Rose asked as her mother let out a choked sob. "What do you mean, I'm the Lead?"

"I believe this is where I come in," The Headmistress stepped forward so that she was standing right next to Rose and her parents. Rose saw that as she passed Hermione the Headmistress gently touched her mum's arm and gave her a reassuring look.

Like always, the Headmistress looked pristine. Today she was wearing flaming red robes and her silvery white hair was pulled back into a tight bun. Her eyes that were always so stern and hard looked slightly apprehensive as they gazed down at Rose, and her lips weren't pressed as tightly together as normal.

She almost looked pitying.

"Miss Weasley if I remember right you have been training to become a healer. Correct?" Rose nodded, totally non-plussed to where this was leading.

"And as I understand you want to work as a spell and curse healer, mostly working with old versions." Rose nodded once again.

"Have you, by any chance, ever researched the ancient Soul Bonding curse?" Rose perked up at the mention of the Soul Bonding curse.

Rose had loved reading about that old curse.

"Yes, last year I spent a lot of time reading about it after I heard professor Stonewall mention it. It was very interesting, but I don't see how this has anything to do with why I'm in the hospital?" Rose was getting a sinking feeling in her stomach but she wasn't one to jump to conclusions so she pushed it down.

"So you are well versed on the subject?"

"Well yes I suppose, I read every book the library had on the subject but what does my reading subjects have to do with anything?"

"In a minute Miss. Weasley," Rose felt a little irritation growing but pushed it down. "Mr Malfoy, have you by any chance read anything on the subject?"

Malfoy let out a short laugh, as though the thought of reading anything that he wasn't forced to read for homework was crazy. His smirk annoyed Rose more than the Professor's vague questioning.

"Professor the day I read a book for entertainment is the day Weasley here loosens up a bit and has some fun," Malfoy smirked as Rose elbowed him in the stomach with a glare.

Funny, Rose thought. If she didn't know any better she would have thought she felt a little twinge in her own gut at the same time she elbowed Malfoy.

No, she told herself, you're just being silly.

"I'll take that as a no..." The Headmistress said, giving Malfoy a bit of a severe look.

"Professor...," Rose said slowly, the sinking feeling in her stomach intensified by the second as she pieced it all together pretty. "This isn't just a random question is it?"

Rose held the professors gaze for a moment and her suspicion was answered by the look in the old witch's eyes. For the first time, Rose thought she saw the same sort of gentleness in the Headmistress' eyes as Rose saw in her mother's. There was also sympathy along with something else Rose couldn't recognize.

Rose swore loudly making her mum flinch. Rose ran her hands through her hair as her mind raced, trying to understand. This couldn't be happening, there was no way, but when Rose looked up into the Professor's eyes and the people around her she knew the truth.

Rose felt sick. Her stomach clenched and threatened to spill what she had eaten last.

She thought back to the previous night and everything seemed to make sense. Rose knew that it was very possible but she had to be sure.

"Please tell me that's not what happened," Rose said inwardly flinching at how desperate and hollow her voice sounded.

The Headmistress held Rose's gaze for a long moment before nodding slowly, "I'm afraid that is exactly what happened, Miss. Weasley."

Rose swore again weakly, "How could this have happened! It makes no sense, this can't be happening. I don't want this, any of it!" She pulled her legs up to her chest and wound her arms around them. Ignoring the stab of pain she felt from moving slightly away from Malfoy, she rested her forehead against her legs as she closed her eyes.

"Would someone explain what's happened!? What's this curse you're all talking about?" Malfoy questioned.

Rose let out a hollow humourless laugh that sounded nothing like her normal bright one. "Of course," Rose said her forehead still resting on her knees and her eyes still closed. "His whole life just got turned upside down and he's still clueless. Why am I surprised? He's as thick as a rock."

"Miss. Weasley, I know this is a surprise but there's no reason to be-"

"SURPRISE!?" Rose half yelled lifting her head and glaring at the startled Headmistress, ignoring the way everyone in the room jumped. "Is that what this is? Just a surprise?"

"Rose!" Hermione said sharply quickly turning from crying to lecturing "I know this is a lot to take in but that does not give you the right to yell at the Headmistress, she's only trying to help."

Rose let out a long hard breath and ran her hands over her face. She knew her mum was right, she was being rude and disrespectful.

"I'm sorry," Rose said tiredly dropping her hands and looking at the Headmistress. "This is just a bit too much right now."

The Headmistress nodded, "I understand Miss Weasley but as I was saying you shouldn't insult Mr Malfoy as you very well know he is the only thing keeping you alive right now." Rose nodded and closed her eyes again, but not before seeing the complete confusion on Malfoy's face.

"Someone please explain what's happened to Malfoy, because some of the things he's thinking have happened is even more ridiculous then what's actually happened."

Rose only half listened as the professor explained what had transpired. For his part, Malfoy took it pretty well only cursing about a dozen times, and he kept his yelling to a reasonable decimal even as words like, permanent, painful, tiring, closeness, and spouses floated around.

While the Headmistress talked, Rose went through everything she knew about the curse.

The Soul Bonding curse was when two souls that were meant to be together bonded to become one. The souls could only bond when both persons were sixteen years old. Malfoy had been sixteen for a few months now so their souls were waiting for Rose, who had completely forgotten that her birthday was today.

Last night when the clock hit twelve Rose's entire world had changed. In that split second of time when Rose went from being fifteen to sixteen, the universe had messed everything up. Rose's soul was bonded forever to Malfoy's, which meant that they were as good as married in the eyes of the Wizarding World.

Once their souls had bonded Malfoy and Rose had become connected, they were practically one person in two bodies. They could feel each other's emotions, so if Rose was sad Malfoy would feel it and vice versa. Also, if one was to get hurt the other would feel their pain.

They could also see what the other one was thinking, but unlike their emotions, the other's thoughts didn't just float over so that the other felt it. No, with thoughts Rose would have to physically focus on Malfoy to read what he was thinking at the moment.

Rose didn't just have access to all of Malfoy's thoughts though. He could close Rose off so that she couldn't see anything or she would only be able to see what he was thinking at that moment. As time went on and the Bond wasn't so new, Rose would be able to see what he had thought up to a day back.

And Rose was the lead, which meant that she was really the only one in danger.

By being the Lead, Rose would have the worse end of everything. If Malfoy cut his hand, Rose would feel like her hand was cut. Whereas if Rose cut her hand, Malfoy would just feel a little stab of pain.

The only thing to really worry about though was if Malfoy was to somehow get hurt fatally. Since Rose was the Lead, her soul wouldn't let Malfoy die. Rose's soul would take his soul's place making her die so that Malfoy could live. In return, Malfoy's soul kept Rose's alive. She could never die unnaturally as long as Malfoy was still living. In other words, Malfoy was the reason Rose was still breathing.

Rose had almost drifted off to sleep while McGonagall was talking, so she wasn't happy when she was woken. She had been very comfortable with her head resting on Malfoy's shoulder, her arm wrapped loosely around his waist, and her legs wrapped around his.

She lifted her head and scowled sleepily at Malfoy who had just poked her in the stomach, there were better ways to wake a person up then poking them.

"Cut it out," Rose muttered, her voice coated in sleep as she laid her head back down on Malfoy's shoulder and snuggling closer to him.

She was very tired. All she wanted was sleep. Sweet relaxing sleep. But, of course, Malfoy would have none of that.

"Wake up, love. Madam Pomfrey wants to talk to us," Malfoy said poking Rose again.

"Quit poking me," Rose said annoyed, pushing his hand away. "And I'm not your love."

Malfoy, as always, chuckled.

Rose moved to sit up next to Malfoy, but the minute she had moved her legs away from his and unwrapped her arm from around his waist pain erupted in her stomach even though she was still touching Malfoy's chest.

Rose gasped in pain placing a hand over her stomach as Malfoy winced.

"Rose!" Hermione sounded quite frantic, while Al and Hugo sort of lurched forward as if to try and help. Rose just shook her head.

"I'm fine, mum" Rose shifted so that she was pressed more fully against Malfoy, and like last time the pain dulled. "Just moved wrong's all."

Rose was very grateful, though she'd never admit it, when Malfoy wrapped his arm around Rose's waist. It made the little bit of pain that was left vanish almost completely, though it made Ron wince slightly.

"Are you sure you're alright Miss. Weasley?" Rose smiled at the Headmistress who was looking at Rose with a very concerned expression.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's not that bad. It just surprised me," Rose lied, that small moment of pain had almost been enough to make her puke.

"Alright," The professor didn't look like she completely believed Rose but there was nothing she could do about the pain so she left it at that. "Madam Pomfrey." She nodded for the nurse to come forward.

"I need to speak with you both about contact with others and staying close to each other."

Rose just groaned, not in pain but out of annoyance. "I know we can't touch anyone else for at least a month after the Bonding, to do so would cause us both pain, and we have to stay near each other while the Bond is still so new. I already told you, I've read all about this curse."

Rose just wanted to go to sleep. The first 24-hours after the Bond were always the worst because everything was still so sensitive and new.

"Miss Weasley, I need to know that you understand this completely. If you were to touch anyone other than Mr Malfoy, it would be very harmful to you both, and moving away from him will result in you both passing out." Rose curled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them like she had done not long ago.

"Madam Pomfrey," Rose said unable to keep how tired she was out of her voice, "I understand that, but for the moment all I want to do is sleep. And though Malfoy here might look all happy and awake, he's just as tired as I am. Please, we both need sleep. As I'm sure you know, the first 24-hours after the Bond is terrible. Instead of sitting here and hearing things I already know and am probably going to be told many more times in the future and trying not to make a wrong move that will cause both Malfoy and me to pass out from the pain, I would rather be sleeping."

"It's all just too much to take in," she added as an afterthought.

"Of course. We'll discuss this in the morning," The Headmistress said with understanding, disrupting whatever protests Pomfrey might have had, then after a bit of a pause she spoke once again "You seem to be taking this much better than we thought."

"Yelling and screaming won't fix anything. What is there to do but just try and live with it? Plus, if I put up too much of a fight I'll just get hurt. I'm doing the only thing I can do."

"And what's that?" The Headmistress asked as Malfoy and Rose moved back into a comfortable sleeping position.

Rose found herself smiling softly as she closed her eyes and laid her head once again on Malfoy's chest wrapping her arm around his waist. She could feel from the slow rise and fall of his chest, that he was already falling into the deep sleep that Rose would soon fall into.

Rose didn't know why she felt so content. Her whole life had just been turned upside down and nothing would ever be the same. She'd have to change her life, but for some reason, she couldn't really bring herself to feel angry about anything. She felt safe and somehow happy in Malfoy's arms, as though she had been given something that she had needed but just never knew it. Lying with him in that hospital bed, Rose felt as though she had just found something that she had lost long ago.

"Accepting it," Rose breathed softly before closing her eyes.

 **~oOo~**

 **Hey, guys, I hope this chapter was as good as the last one and that you liked it just as much. I know that the Bond part is going to be a bit confusing, but all the aspects of it will make sense in later chapters.**

 **I want to thank all of you that left a review and that Fav/Followed my story. I love getting reviews and hearing what you think.**

 **If you liked this chapter please leave a review and tell me what you think, and if you didn't like it well... leave a review so that I can learn from it and do better in the future.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Cara**


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: I've written this in British English, so things will be spelt differently than they are in America. Words like gray, mom, color... Ect, are spelt like grey, mum colour. Just wanted to let you all know that any words spelt differently are just the way the British spell them.**

 **Note 2: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. You make this story come alive.**

 **Now on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 3**

 **November 20th-22nd**

 **Wednesday-Friday**

 **~oOo~**

It was two days later when Rose and Malfoy were finally let out of the hospital. To say Rose was close to losing it would be an understatement. After that first day in the hospital wing, Rose had lost that peaceful and calm feeling. Now all she felt was annoyed. Over the years, Rose had spent many hours with Malfoy because he was Al's best friend, but all those times there was always someone else around. Rose never had to talk to him. Now Rose was alone with Malfoy for hours on end with no one there to stop him from driving Rose up the wall.

Things got a bit better the second day after the Bond, seeing as Rose could sit on another bed and not have to be too close to Malfoy to be comfortable. The Bond had calmed down while Malfoy and Rose had been asleep that first day, and once they woke up they found that they could be around five-to-ten feet away from each other without feeling much discomfort.

The second night, Rose and Malfoy slept in separate beds. Madam Pomfrey had to push the beds closer together so that the two could sleep comfortably. In the end, there was barely enough room to walk in between the beds. And though Rose was happy to have her own bed, the Bond wasn't. She had a very strong urge to be closer, to feel Malfoy sleeping next to her like the first night, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't sleep a wink. The whole night was spent tossing and turning, trying to settle the insane urge she felt.

Rose and Malfoy had lots of visitors in the days spent in the hospital, mostly in the morning or evening after dinner. Rose's four friends and dorm mates stopped by every morning and evening, usually along with Malfoy's friends the Gremlins. Rose would set up a silencing charm between her's and Malfoy's bed during such times and it wasn't very hard to forget that he was there with her talkative friends. Rose's and Malfoy's parents also stayed (Which Rose found a bit weird) during those days in the hospital, brushing off Rose's concerns about their jobs.

Ron and Hermione always had full schedules at the ministry and Rose didn't know how they managed to take so much time off, maybe they had utilized their Golden Trio status to secure the time off

When Rose woke from her restless sleep on the third day, she didn't even bother trying to go back to sleep, knowing it would be useless. Instead, she thought she might as well go take a shower and get ready for the school day. She gingerly got out of bed, and, and being careful not to make a sound, walked the short distance to where Malfoy was sleeping. Rose leant over Malfoy and looked down at him, seeming so peaceful as he slept, and her sleep-deprived brian pointed out to her that he was gorgeous.

Rose shook her head to clear it and remembered why she had come over to his bedside in the first place. Rose placed a hand on Malfoy's arm, ignoring the heat and spark she felt shoot up her arm with the contact and feel of his strong bicep under her small hand.

The Bond caused him to wake almost immediately. He turned onto his back and looked up at her with his hair a-mess and his eyes half closed over his steely grey irises. Rose's eyes were drawn to his half-exposed chest where his shirt had ridden up during the night. Damn, he had perfectly sculpted abs. She forced herself to look away with a blush. Why did he have to be so adorably hot?

"Need something, Love?" Malfoy asked pushing himself up on an elbow and smirking at Rose. He had noticed her staring and made no move to pull his shirt back down annoying Rose further.

"I can't sleep so I want to go take a shower," Rose said and Malfoy just continued to smirk at her.

"And you want me to join you?" Malfoy asked slowly, his voice deep and sleep ridden, his smirk darkening ever so slightly.

Malfoy had always been like this. He would beat up any guy that so much as looked at Rose, then turn right around and say things like this to her. Over the years she had just gotten used to it, but with this stupid Bond, everything Malfoy said sent Rose's brain into overdrive trying to figure out a way to respond.

"Yes- I mean no- I mean yes but not like-Oh, you know what I mean," Rose said giving an exasperating sigh.

Rose's glare intensified as Malfoy chuckled, but he got up anyway so Rose really couldn't complain. Together they walked over to the door that led into the bathroom.

Madam Pomfrey had changed things around a bit so that Malfoy and Rose could shower and change without irritating the Bond. The bathroom was a long rectangular room. When you first walked in, there were two sinks with a large mirror to the right, and straight ahead were two white curtains with a thin wall separating them. Rose walked into the curtain on the right while Malfoy went into the one on the left. Rose barely felt any discomfort as she closed the white curtain, seeing as they were still close together.

Rose was in a smaller rectangular room that was cut into two small squares, at the moment she was standing in a small changing room. Rose wasn't surprised to see her school robes neatly folded on the small bench in the small room. She knew that the old nurse had put them there. Along with a small mirror hanging over the bench, on the opposite wall were a few hooks. One of which Rose saw her heavy black cloak hanging on.

Rose pulled her nightdress over her head and then stepped into the shower in the next room over, pulling the white curtain closed behind her so that the water wouldn't get into the changing room. She turned on the water and let out a sigh as the warm water started to run over her cold body. Winter was just around the corner and almost every room in the castle was freezing cold, no matter how many blankets she had on her bed she was still cold and the warming charm she had cast over herself hadn't helped much in the long run.

Rose closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the smooth cool tile of the shower wall, just letting the warm water wash over her. Maybe if she stayed here long enough, the water would somehow wash away the last few crappy days.

But no luck.

Rose didn't know how long she stayed like that, just leaning against the wall deep in thought when she was suddenly jerked back to reality by a voice in her head.

 _"Are you almost done? It's been nearly half an hour."_

It took Rose a second to recognize the voice as Malfoy's. It took her longer to figure out why the hell she was hearing his voice in her head.

Of course, Rose thought. Wondering when she had become so slow. He's talking to me through the Bond.

 _"Yeah I'll be out in a minute,"_ Rose thought back to Malfoy.

It was weird how easy it was to communicate with him. All Rose had to do was think about what she wanted to tell him and he somehow got her message.

 _"Hurry up or else we'll be late."_

Rose could even hear how he thought it, just like if he had said it out loud. She could hear his annoyance and concern for her.

 _"I know just give me a second,"_ Rose thought back, irritated.

Rose finished her shower quickly, washing her hair in record time. When she reluctantly turned off the water she instantly felt cold. Shivering slightly she stepped out into the changing room, grabbing her wand and casting a drying spell on her hair and herself.

She got dressed, pulling on her school uniform faster than she usually did. Her uniform had changed slightly for the winter months, becoming thicker to keep her warmer. Rose pulled on her thick grey stockings, then her dark grey pleated skirt that ended just above her knees. Next, was her long sleeved white collared shirt. Then, her grey V-necked long-sleeved sweater. Rose knotted her red and gold tie with ease, and tucked it neatly into her grey sweater. This was how it was supposed to be worn but most students just left them hanging loosely around their necks. She tucked her white shirt into her skirt and then stepped into her black ankle boots.

Rose grabbed her school robes and pulled them on, buttoning only two of the many buttons and leaving the rest so her robes hung open like she usually did. Though the students were supposed to button up their robes, no one ever did it, not even Rose who found that it was unneeded.

Rose looked herself over in the mirror making sure she looked presentable. While her uniform was perfect, she looked very pale and there were dark circles under her eyes from her nights of restless sleep. Rose sighed at her reflection. She turned, and grabbed her cloak from its hook, stepped out past the white curtain while she sent another message to Malfoy.

 _"I'm done, you coming?"_

A few seconds later, Malfoy pushed back the curtain and walked into the room trying feverishly to knot his tie while holding onto his own cloak.

They walked over to the sinks and mirrors near the door, and again Rose wasn't surprised to see everything she needed sitting neatly on the countertop. Putting her cloak down gently, Rose grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste. Malfoy did the same, giving up on his tie and leaving it hanging untied around his neck.

Rose finished brushing her teeth and moved onto makeup and hair. Closing her eyes, Rose lifted her wand and flicked it at her face. The familiar warm feeling of the spell came over Rose's face, and a second later it was gone. Opening her eyes, Rose saw that the spell had once again done its job. Her eyelashes were perfectly curled, the mascara was wonderful, her eyeliner was flawless, and her lips pink and glossy. It had even made her skin glow so she didn't look half as pale and the dark circles under her eyes were gone.

Satisfied, Rose started on her hair and instantly there was what looked like a cloud floating above Rose's head. All her hair had been pulled up into it and Rose could feel it untangling all the knots.

Knowing that this spell took a bit longer to finish, Rose hopped up onto the countertop and watched Malfoy as he finished with his own hair and started trying to knot his tie again. Rose couldn't help but find it funny that he couldn't knot a tie, he was a pureblood after all.

After about thirty seconds of watching Malfoy struggle and cursing under his breath, Rose finally gave in.

"Need some help there Malfoy?" Rose asked in an innocent voice, though even she could hear the amusement leaking out.

"I'm perfectly capable of knotting this tie, Weasley," Malfoy muttered back as he once again tried to undo the mess of a knot he had made in the tie so he could try again.

"I'm sure" Rose answered, not being able to hold back a smirk as she watched him fail yet again.

Suddenly, the spell finished its work with Rose's hair and it fell neatly down Rose's back in curly waves. Rose didn't even bother looking in the mirror as she slipped off the countertop. Instead, she stood in front of Malfoy and smoothly pushed his hands away from the mess of a knot he had made.

Rose undid the knot and started to tie the red and gold cloth properly. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as her fingertips graced his neck. There was an electric current between them, a hyper-awareness that turned such a simple task into something dreamlike… something other. His chest rose and fell. She could practically hear his heartbeat pounding in her ears. The silkiness of the tie. The heat radiating off his skin. His scent surrounded her with an intoxicating spice she could not name, and she found herself looking up into his eyes. Had she ever really seen them before? They were so deep. Storms of grey and silver with flecks of blue. There was something intense in his eyes that she didn't understand.

Rose shook her head. What was happening to her? She shouldn't be feeling this way. Especially not towards Malfoy, the boy she so despised. It had to be the Bond.

Rose was grateful when she noticed that her hands had never stopped knotting Malfoy's tie. She finished knotting it quickly, making sure that it hung loosely around his neck the way he always had it. Then, Rose took a much-needed step back and looked in the mirror, trying to look as though she hadn't just lost it while knotting Malfoy's tie.

"Thanks," Malfoy murmured next to her. There was a flush to his cheeks and he wasn't quite looking her in the eye. Rose nodded but said nothing.

"Well let's go then," Malfoy said as Rose finished looking herself over. He gave his hair one last run through with his hand before they pulled on their cloaks and headed for the door.

As the two teens stepped out into the hospital wing, they were both mildly surprised to see a small group of adults all huddled together talking in low voices. All of them fell silent and stepped out of their tight circle as Rose and Malfoy walked toward them.

"Scorpius!" Mrs Malfoy exclaimed lovingly as her son walked slowly toward the group. Malfoy raised one eyebrow in suspicion and Rose could hear him wondering why they were all down there. Rose wondered the same.

"Mother," Malfoy greeted, looking around at the adults with his eyes squinted slightly.

"You look tired Scorpius. Have you been sleeping?" Mrs Malfoy asked looking at her son, her smile quickly fading into concern and spreading over her face.

She was right, Malfoy did look tired. He had dark circles under his eyes and was a bit paler than usual.

"I'm fine mum, stop worrying so much," Malfoy said giving his mother an easy smile that seemed to calm her slightly but she still looked worried.

"Good morning Rosie," Ron said smiling at his daughter before sending Malfoy a glare of utter hate.

Rose shook her head."Please stop glaring dad. He won't disappear no matter how much you glare at him. Trust me I've tried, it doesn't work," Rose said in a way of a morning greeting.

"It's so sweet that you're defending me, Weasley," Malfoy teased, placing a hand over his heart, looking at her as though she'd just given him the one thing he had always wanted.

"Sod off, Malfoy. I still hate you," Rose said rolling her eyes at his antics.

"There's a fine line between love and hate, Weasley" Malfoy said in a soft singsong voice as Rose gave him a withering look.

"That's not a line I plan on ever crossing."

"We'll see."

It was only around 7:00 in the morning and he was already annoying her.

"Enough," McGonagall said loudly as Rose opened her mouth to give a sharp retort to Malfoy's last comment. Rose closed her mouth and gave a huff of annoyance that Malfoy got the last word. Malfoy smirked, obviously very pleased with himself for getting Rose riled up.

"It is far too early in the morning to listen to you two bickering once again, there are more pressing matters to deal with. For the rest of the morning, I want you both to try and get along, understood?"

The Headmistress gave them both a stern glare. Rose nodded feeling a little guilty for getting so worked up and muttered a quick "Yes, professor."

"Of course, Headmistress," Malfoy said after a stern look from his mother.

 _'Someone looks like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.'_ Malfoy's amused voice echoed in Rose's head and she shot him a glare.

"Would someone mind telling us why you're all down here on this beautiful morning," Malfoy asked before Rose could send an insult to him.

"Ah, yes," The Headmistress said, nodding. "I need you to come up to my office for a while, there are several things we need to sort out before you two can start your day," Malfoy opened his mouth to say something but the Headmistress cut him off. "You will still have time to eat breakfast, Mr Malfoy. I assure you."

Malfoy grinned at the professor and Rose rolled her eyes. Of course, food, that's the only thing he cares about.

"Right, let's get on with it then."

The group walked down the hall in silence, with the Headmistress and Madam Pomfrey walking a bit ahead of the rest. Rose glanced at her parents that were walking in silence next to her. They both looked so pale and there were dark rings under their eyes, giving away the fact that they obviously hadn't been sleeping either.

They started to meet some students when they turned the corner, not many students ever really went down the corridor to the hospital wing without meaning to go to the hospital wing itself.

Rose tried to ignore the outright stares their little company was getting, but it wasn't easy. For the first time in Rose's life, no one was staring at Ron or Hermione like they usually did when Rose's parents were seen in public. No, they were all staring at Rose and Malfoy, some pointed, others started whispering, some just stood there with their mouths hanging open.

"They know," Rose said, looking at a particularly large group of Slytherins who were all staring at Rose, looking dumbstruck.

"Yes," The Headmistress said nodding solemnly. "It's been all over the school this morning. I'm afraid that your secret is out, it won't be long until the news reaches the paper."

Rose sighed. Wonderful. Just another thing to deal with.

"I don't think we could have kept this a secret for very long," Malfoy pointed out.

"Yes, but it's still the last thing I want the whole bloody school knowing about," Rose shot back, very aware of the many eyes that were following her.

"It's not that bad," Malfoy said and Rose's head snapped back to him.

"Not that bad? Malfoy I'm pretty much married to you at sixteen how could this situation get any worse," Rose hissed.

"Enough, both of you," Hermione said sharply under her breath to the two teens. "There's enough going on without you two bickering in the middle of a crowded hallway."

"'It's not that bad'. Really," Rose said under her breath, shaking her head.

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Rose sent Malfoy glares every once in a while, and Malfoy just grinned back. By the time they arrived at the Headmistress's office, Rose had calmed down a bit. The Headmistress whispered the password, the gargoyles jumped aside, and they all stepped onto the stairs as it started to move slowly upwards.

At the top, the group stepped onto the landing, McGonagall walked over to her office door and opened it wide. Every time Rose came to the Headmistress's office she couldn't help but look around in amazement.

The walls had floor to ceiling bookcases, the cabinets were full of different knick-knacks, there was a large dark wood desk, a grand fireplace, and a collection of paintings above.

"Miss Weasley, Mr Malfoy, please come over to my desk and have a seat. We have much to discuss," The Headmistress called from her position behind her large desk.

Rose took the seat on the right and Malfoy took the one on the left. Their parents took their places next to them.

"So," Malfoy said crossing his arms loosely over his chest and slouching down in his seat and putting one ankle over the other, looking very comfortable and at home. "What all has to change?"

"Well," The Headmistress said giving a stern look for his posture but not commenting all the same. "As you both know, there are many things we will need to change or modify so that you can both live as normally as possible," Rose nodded not saying anything, just watching the professor.

"The first thing we need to discuss is Quidditch," Malfoy shot straight upright in his seat, opening his mouth to say something.

At the mention of Quidditch, Rose got a sick feeling.

"It would be impossible for you to play, as you both well know," McGonagall said before Malfoy could say a thing. "I'm sorry but quidditch is out of the question for the time being. In a few months when the Bond has allowed you to move normally again without irritation, then we can talk about you two joining the team once more."

"But, professor," Malfoy said weakly, Rose knew that he adored Quidditch, and the thought of losing it must be physically painful. "The next match is coming up. We'll be crushed by Slytherin if the team loses a Chaser and a Seeker at the same time."

"You both have stand-in's, I'm sure we will do fine."

"Weasley is the best seeker this school has, taking her out would destroy the team and Al just doesn't play well with my stand-in. You can't take us off the team," Malfoy said pleadingly.

"I have to agree with Malfoy, Al's doesn't play well with Malfoy's stand-in and my replacement is just bloody useless," Rose said and the Headmistress sighed.

"Miss Weasley, Mr Malfoy," McGonagall said looking at them both in turn, "There is no way you can both play. I'm sorry, but until further notice, you are both off the team."

Rose got that sick feeling again. Right at the base of her stomach.

Malfoy looked as though the Headmistress had taken away his favourite toy.

"Just another thing that's been ruined from this ridiculous Bond," Rose said dryly. She ignored the stab of pain she got from saying this hateful comment.

"Miss Weasley, I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to help you two through this. After all, this is only temporary. Once the Bond is not as new you'll both be able to live much more normally," The Headmistress looked at the two with what Rose thought might be a look of pity.

"Yes, but nothing will ever be the same again," Rose said tiredly, "Malfoy and I are still Bonded. Nothing can change that, not even time."

By the time Rose and Malfoy were free to leave, neither were very happy. Like the Headmistress had promised, there was still time to go eat before they had to head off the class. Both were shouldering their book bags, both lost in thought, trying to process what the Headmistress had said.

Rose and Malfoy both stepped onto the staircase and it started to wind down, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Astoria right behind them. Their parents had offered to walk them down to the Great Hall, and neither Rose or Malfoy had the heart to tell them that they would rather be alone.

So the small group set off together for the Great Hall, though it was a very silent walk. Rose walked in a sort of dream-like state. She didn't see or hear what was going on around her, she was too busy thinking.

The Headmistress had discussed a lot with the two Gryffindors. Since they had to stay close to each other for the first part of the Bond, they had had to change their classes around so that they were taking all the same subjects. Luckily the only difference in the class schedule was that Rose took Ancient Ruins while Malfoy didn't. Rose had reluctantly agreed to drop the class after Malfoy pointed out that it would be nearly impossible for him to catch up if he joined this far in the year.

They were made partners in all their classes; Potions, DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, History of Magic, and Herbology. Which meant a lot of switching around for their old partners.

Rose had to drop a lot of the things she was doing. She would no longer be tutoring the younger students, or help the teachers, and her advanced classes would have to be put on hold. Luckily, Rose would still be allowed to continue her prefect duties and her work with Hagrid.

Then came the topic of where they would sleep. Rose pointed out Malfoy could hardly sleep in the girls' dormitory even though he said he wouldn't mind in the least. This had just ended in Rose slapping him on the shoulder. And since Rose could simply not sleep in the boy's dorm, as her dad so helpfully pointed out they were at a loss.

The Headmistress had stopped a fight from breaking out by telling them that she had already figured that out. It seems that she had designed a smaller dorm room for Rose and Malfoy only. She had turned one of the old dorm rooms in Gryffindor tower into a small living area so that Rose and Malfoy could still stay with the rest of their house. Their dorm room supposedly had a small sitting room with a fireplace and studying area. It also had a bedroom with a bathroom much like the one in the hospital wing that Madam Pomfrey had transfigured for the two.

The subject of where they would go for the breaks came up but Rose quickly shut it down. The Headmistress had suggested that they split up the holidays so that both families had equal time with their child. Ron had gone bright red with anger when McGonagall said Rose should spend Christmas at the Malfoy Manor.

The next thing they had talked about was how they would go about their day-to-day life. Madam Pomfrey had taken over for that part and had explained, for what felt like the millionth time, what Rose and Malfoy could and could not do. They had to stay within five-to-ten feet of each other at all times until the Bond wasn't so new. Moving outside of that would result in both Rose and Malfoy becoming very dizzy and ill and in the end, they'd both pass out. They could not touch anyone other than each other. To come in contact with anyone other than the person you were Bonded with would result in the skin that had been touched to feel like it was burning.

There was one thing that was new in this speech that Rose had not been expecting. Madam Pomfrey had levelled them both with a stern look and said that they would have to learn to stop fighting. Rose had stared at her as though she had just grown a new head, asking Rose Weasley to get along with Scorpius Malfoy was like asking the world to stop spinning. It was never going to happen, and Rose said as much, the two of them were just too different.

The old nurse had given Rose a disapproving glare and said that if she didn't learn to get along with Malfoy the Bond would get irritated. The Bond wanted the two to get along and their constant fighting was not healthy for either of them. It was even more so for Rose because she was the Lead and it would affect her more than Malfoy.

In the end, Rose had agreed grudgingly to try and the nurse looked happy enough. Madam Pomfrey had then pulled something out of her pocket and had handed one to Malfoy and one to Rose. It was a necklace. The chain was silver and just long enough that Rose could hide it under her shirt, and at the end there were a few small circles hanging loosely. Madam Pomfrey had explained that they were special portkeys, each circle was linked to different parts of the castle. The white circle with the red cross on it was linked to the hospital wing, the red and gold one was linked to their new dorm room, the silver one was linked to the Headmistress's office, and the one with the St. Mungo's crest on it was linked to, of course, St. Mungo's.

The Headmistress explained that this was to help them get around easier and, if something were to happen, they would have a fast way to get to help. She also said that the one linked to her office was only to be used in an emergency and the same went for the St. Mungo's one.

All Rose and Malfoy had to do was touch the portkey for three seconds and think about going there and they would be transported.

After Rose and Malfoy had put their portkey necklaces on, the Headmistress had given them their book bags and told them that would be all for the day and that they were free to go.

This was all on Rose's mind as the group walked towards the Great Hall. The corridors had more students in them now than before, and as they walked students parted and made room for the group to pass. All of them stared at Rose and Malfoy with disbelieving expressions.

Rose guessed that it might be kind of hard to believe that Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy were one of this century's soul mates. It had been a whole century since the last soul Bonding, and not many people ever really got to say that they were there to see the newly bonded couple. The last known soul Bonding, which had been quite awhile ago, had been between Titan Orfanos and Annabell Gozzi.

When they finally got to the entrance to the Great Hall, Rose wasn't any happier. She hated students pointing and whispering when they walked by, hated their slack-jawed expressions. It was quite infuriating.

"You'll get through this Rosie," Hermione said quietly as the group stopped in front of the doors leading into the Great Hall.

"I hope so," Rose said with a sigh. Hermione smiled sadly at Rose.

"Have a good day, sweetheart," Ron said looking as though he wanted nothing more than to just hug Rose, but knowing that he couldn't.

"Thank you, daddy," Rose said smiling softly at her dad.

"Come on, love. I'm starving," Malfoy said after saying goodbye to his parents, Rose rolled her eyes.

"Is there ever a time you're not hungry? And quit calling me love," Rose said as they walked into the Great Hall, their parents walking ahead of them towards the teacher's table.

"Never," Malfoy said grinning brightly down at Rose as they walked, answering both questions at once.

Rose had noticed that when they walked into the Great Hall that all noise seemed to just dry out. Everyone's eyes were on them. Rose tried not to care or listen to the whispering that was starting to ripple through the Hall.

Rose couldn't help but smile in relief when she saw her friends sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, right across from her cousins and Malfoy's friends. Rose was glad that they had all sat together, this way Rose and Malfoy could sit with their friends and not have to worry about being too far apart.

"Ro!" Elizabeth cried happily when she saw Rose.

"There you are. What took so long?" Mary asked as Rose sat down next to her and Lizzy, as Malfoy rounded the table and sat down next to Al and Fred.

"The Headmistress wanted to talk to us in her office," Rose explained grinning at her friends.

"We missed you mate!" Al said grinning at Malfoy, who smiled back happily.

"Oh Rose we're so glad your back, it's been horrible without you," Grace said from her place next to Mary.

"Has it?" Rose asked raising an eyebrow at her friends, they were acting like she had been gone for an eternity.

"Yes," they said nodding fervently.

"Where's Ashely?" Rose asked, suddenly noticing that she hadn't seen her fourth friend when she had sat down. Looking around Lizzy, Rose saw her friend staring down at her plate, her face blank.

"Ash, what on earth happened?" Rose gasped when she saw her friend's face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, her eyes were bloodshot and she was very pale. Rose could clearly see that she had been crying and that she had tried to cover it up, but nothing could hide it.

Ashley looked up from her plate where she had been pushing her food around absentmindedly, she looked quite startled to see Rose. "Rose," she greeted with forced cheerfulness, smiling tightly at Rose. "Sorry, I didn't see you come in."

Rose looked at her other friends and they all looked back, sadly shaking their heads.

"What happened?" Rose asked again.

"Nothing," Ashley said averting her gaze from Rose's intense eyes. Rose didn't understand it, there was obviously something was wrong with Ashley but she wasn't saying what. The small group of friends never kept secrets from one another, it just wasn't what they did.

"Darling," Lizzy said softly, placing a hand on Ashley's shoulder. "Is it all right if I tell Rose what happened?" After a moment of thought, Ashley nodded.

Lizzy turned back to Rose and sighed. "Ashely broke up with Kile last night," she said quietly so that only Rose could hear.

"What? Why?" Rose whispered back, still very confused. Ashely and Kile had been going out for nearly a year. Rose thought they were happy, in love even.

"She found out that he's been cheating on her for almost two months." Rose made a disbelieving, angry sound and looked at Ashley again who had tears gathering in her eyes. Rose wanted nothing more than to give her a hug.

"Oh, Ash I'm so sorry," Rose said and Ashely nodded, wiping at her eyes. "Do you want me to hex him, I can transform him into a flobberworm? You just say the word and it's done."

Ashley gave Rose a small smile and even chuckled a little.

"Thank you Ro, but no. Albus and James already took care of him." Rose looked over at her cousins to see that all the boys were talking and laughing like nothing had happened. Rose knew that Al, James, Fred, Malfoy, and all the other Gremlins were protective of the house's girls. So it didn't surprise Rose that they had beat her to it.

"So what did the Headmistress want?" Mary asked obviously wanting to change the subject.

"She just wanted to tell us where we'll be staying, tell us how classes will be going from now on, lecture us some more about the things we can't do, oh and she gave us these," Rose said reaching and tugging the portkey necklace over her head.

"What are those?" Lizzy asked looking at the small circles that hung on the silver chain with curiosity.

"Portkeys," Rose replied, turning the chain slowly in the air and letting them look closely at them.

"What?" Mary asked looking very confused.

"They're special portkeys. So say I need to get to the hospital wing quickly for some reason and I'm in Gryffindor tower. It would take forever to get there on foot. So to make it easier all I have to do is touch the white circle with the red cross on it and think about going to the hospital wing and three seconds later I'll be there."

"Cool," Lizzy said, with an awed expression. She loved things like this. "But wait, it's a necklace, that means the port keys are touching your skin. Doesn't that mean that when you're wearing it, if you happened to think about the hospital wing wouldn't you suddenly go there too?"

Rose smiled at her friend. "No, I have to touch the circle with my fingers, I think it like scans my fingerprints or something. That way I won't suddenly be transported when I don't want to be. Make sense?" Lizzy nodded after a moment but still looked a bit confused.

Rose smiled, pulling the necklace back on and turned towards the food. Now that she was here with all this food in front of her she realized that she was actually very hungry. Rose grabbed some eggs, toast, hash browns, and bacon and started eating. Across the table, Malfoy had already started eating along with the other sixth year boys, and Rose tried not to grimace with disgust at the way they were all shovelling food into their mouths like it was their last meal on earth.

"Wait," Mary asked with a puzzled look on her face, "did you say that the Headmistress wanted to talk to you about where you'd be staying now?"

Rose nodded and Mary, Lizzy, Grace, and Ashely all looked as though they'd been hit by a few bludgers.

"You're not staying in our dorm?" Grace asked looking heartbroken and confused.

Rose looked around at her friends in surprise. Had they really thought Rose would be returning to the sixth year girl's dorm? Didn't they realize that Rose and Malfoy were attached by the hip now, that Rose couldn't go anywhere without him? Rose wondered if they had thought that she and Malfoy would just sleep in their dorm?

"Of course not!" Rose said. "Malfoy can't sleep in the sixth year girl dorms!"

"I tried to tell her that I didn't mind but she wouldn't listen," Malfoy said from across the table and Rose gave him a quick glare that said shut up before turning back to her friends.

"See he doesn't mind," Mary said, who Rose knew couldn't care less about Malfoy staying in the dorm, but Rose also knew that the other girls weren't so open to the idea of a boy in their dorm.

"Mar" Rose said with a sigh. "Malfoy can't stay in the girl's dorm, for three reasons. First, McGonagall would never allow it in a million years and second, he's a boy and it would be inappropriate to have in our dorm,"

"And three?" Grace asked after a slight pause.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to ever share a bed with Malfoy," Rose said firmly.

"You already did that, love," Malfoy said smirking at Rose from across the table. She blushed thinking about that first day after the Bond. Al gave Malfoy a look that was quite clearly a warning that he needed to watch what he said. They may have been best friends since day one, but Rose was Al's cousin and he was still protective of her.

"Oh, sod off why don't you," Rose snapped, sending him a withering scowl before turning back to the girls.

"Look, I know it will take some time to adjust to but this is just how things are now. I may not be staying in the dorm with you guys but I'll still see you, we will still spend time together." Rose said softly to the four girls she considered family, they were sisters to her in everything but blood.

"Alright," Mary said with a sad sigh, turning back to her food. "But it's not the same."

"No," Rose agreed also turning in her seat and reaching to grab some more bacon,"but nothing's the same anymore Mar."

 **~oOo~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. You make this story come alive.**

 **Now on with the chapter!**

 **Chapter 4**

 **November 23rd**

 **~oOo~**

 **Astoria Malfoy's POV**

Astoria looked up from her plate as the group of friends got up to go to class, all of them laughing at something Rose had said. She felt her heart warm when Scorpius turned and looked over. He gave her his natural carefree grin telling her without words that he was okay and not to worry. Rose also turned to look at the teacher's table and gave her parents a wave and smile.

She watched as they all walked toward the doors leading out of the great hall heading off to their classes. Astoria studied Scorpius and Rose as they walked, noticing that they hardly acknowledged each other when they were with their friends. Rose was turned away from Scorpius leaning towards her friends. It was as if she had a physical bubble between her and Scorpius. Not once did she turn to look at her son to include him in her conversation. Scorpius as well seemed to be attuned only to his friends. He didn't even notice when Rose suddenly dropped a book. It was her friends who jumped in to assist her.

Astoria frowned. It wasn't like her son to ignore a person completely. She hadn't raised him that way. Astoria could remember him always playing with the younger children when they went to parties, never leaving anyone out of the fun.

But when it comes to Rose Weasley, he acts differently.

Since she had arrived at Hogwarts three days before, Astoria had kept an eye on her son and the Weasley girl. What she had witnessed conflicted with the sweet boy she knew and loved.

It was like he was trying to get Rose to notice him. He would tease Rose and get her all riled up, making her insult him and throw digs at him. He was rude, sarcastic, and at times bordering on unkind. He had never acted this way to anyone before. It certainly was a change in character, and Astoria wasn't sure it was for the better.

It wasn't just her son's behaviour that puzzled her. Rose was definitely on her mind as well. The way the girl acted toward Scorpius made Astoria feel less warmly toward her. Rose was constantly insulting her son. And when she wasn't fighting with him, she would give him a cold shoulder. Astoria hated to see the flash of hurt and pain that lit Scorpius's eyes when Rose said something hurtful to him. She saw that behind the calm and confident grin on her son's face that there was a flash of pain, but why the words of the Weasley girl hurt him so much Astoria didn't know.

Astoria loved her son very much and was proud of the young man he was growing into. Sure, he caused more mischief then was half the school combined, but he was still a good boy. She had made sure of that. He was a gentleman who was kind and sweet. There was no real reason for Rose to treat him so badly.

As she watched Rose's back disappear from sight, Astoria made up her mind to talk to the girl. To find out why this beautiful, fierce, stubborn, red-headed girl hated her son so much. Fate had made Rose family. It was time to welcome her.

 **~oOo~**

 **Rose's POV**

By the end of that first day, Rose was exhausted. She was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open. It was the Bond that was taking its toll on her because she was the Lead, and not because Malfoy had driven her crazy all day long. Although, he definitely hadn't helped matters.

At first, Rose had tried to be more civil towards Malfoy, like her parents had asked. In the end she had given it up as a lost cause. The whole day was spent fighting through mind speak. From the outside, they appeared to be very civil, but on the inside, it was another story. They would arrive to class and Malfoy would start talking at her, making comments about the content, asking questions, calling her his stupid pet-names. It was just like the constant buzz of a fly in Rose's head, always there, always nagging, and impossible to ignore.

Rose had promised herself that she would just stay quiet and ignore him, but it hadn't lasted long. Malfoy would say something, would raise the bait and wiggle it right in front of her, and Rose would just snap. She said some pretty hurtful things, things she immediately regretted afterwards, but Malfoy didn't seem to care. He just made that smug smirk of his and continued to annoy her.

Now she was drained and frustrated. And it was all Malfoy's fault. The Bond wanted them to get along, not to fight with one another constantly. So having a whole day full of almost nothing else but fighting, even if it was just in their heads, it took its toll on Rose.

Malfoy, on the other hand, seemed fine. Happy even. He walked with life in his stride and a smile on his face. The only emotions Rose got from him were peaceful ones, happy and calm. There was no sign of the resentment, tiredness, sadness, or confusion that Rose was feeling.

Did he not feel some sort of negative emotion toward the Bond? Did he not feel confused as to why this all happened?

Rose gave a small sigh of relief when the group finally made it to the portrait hole. She was done, physically and emotionally and the last thing she needed was to be thinking about Malfoy's mental state.

"Thestrals," Al told the fat lady who opened without hesitation, though not before giving Rose and Malfoy a curious look.

Wonderful, Rose thought dully, now even the portraits were at it.

Rose and Malfoy climbed through first, quickly followed by their friends. Once in the common room, she looked around and was glad to see that not many students were up there yet. Though those who were, gave them the same interested look that the fat lady and the entire school had been giving them.

Rose sent them an annoyed look, beyond fed up with them all. So what if they were Bonded. So what if this was only a thing that happened every century, they didn't need to all gawp like goldfish every time Rose took a breath.

She stalked across the room, walking toward the dorm staircases. She stopped short though once she realized that she actually had no clue where their dorm was.

Rose felt like stomping her foot in frustration. "For Merlin's sake! Malfoy where the bloody hell is the dorm?"

"Up the boy's staircase. The Headmistress said that it was down the hall, the farthest door to the left."

Rose didn't even feel up to asking how he knew this since she couldn't remember hearing the Headmistress saying anything about where their dorm was.

Up they walked. Rose had never been up to the boy's dorms before, never thinking that it proper for a girl to be in the boy's dorms, but it seemed that she was going to be heading up there a lot more in the future.

When they reached the top, they all stepped into the hallway. Doors lined the walls on either side, a good distance between each one. Rose saw that on the outside it was just like the girl's dorms, just a long hall with doors leading into the separate year's dorms.

The group moved down the long hall in silence, Malfoy, and Al leading them past all the doors. Upon reaching the end of the hall, Rose saw the door that must lead into their new living space. The door was marked like all the other doors, except that this one had a golden eight carved into the wood, whereas the other ones only had numbers from one to seven on them.

That's how the doors were marked. First years were in the dorm marked with a one, second years with a two, and so on and so forth. Rose wondered idly why this door had an eight on it when there was no such thing as eighth years.

"It's locked," Rose said as she tried the handle.

"Right well, that can be fixed," Malfoy said as he took out his wand.

Rose made a warning-type sound low in her throat and surged forward, grabbing Malfoy's wand from his hand before he had a chance to cast the unlocking charm.

"Are you mad?" Rose asked him incredulously. "The doors are protected against someone using magic to open them. It would have ended up cursing you or something if you had tried. How do you not know this?" Rose held his wand out of reach just in case he thought he might continue to try to open the door via magic.

"Forgot about that," Malfoy muttered sheepishly taking his wand, rubbing that back of his neck as their friends all snickered.

"Well try not to forget next time, I'd rather not get cursed again thanks. I've had enough of the hospital for one day," Rose said as she crouched in front of the brass knob, looking closely at the handle.

"There's a keyhole," Rose said softly after a moment of studying the handle, none of the other doors had keyholes. There was no need for them. "Give me your necklace," Rose said standing as an idea came to her and holding out her hand to Malfoy.

"Why?" Malfoy asked slowly, his voice leaking suspicion.

"Malfoy!" Rose snapped, "Just give me the damn necklace." Malfoy gave her a calculating look, but then sighed and took the necklace off. He handed it carefully over to Rose, as though it was made of glass.

Rose quickly saw what she as looking for and let out a triumphant sound. Hanging off the end of Malfoy's necklace, hidden among the small circles, was a silver skeleton key. From the look of the worn silver and scuff marks, along with the ancient design that was carved at the top, Rose figured that it must be very old.

Taking the key, Rose turned back to the door, finding that it fit snuggly into the hole. Rose turned the key and with a soft click of the lock the door opened, making no noise as the heavy oak swung inward. Rose stepped into the room to find what looked like a miniature version of the Gryffindor common room downstairs.

The walls were a vision of red and gold, the Gryffindor crest hung proudly on the wall opposite the door, and right next to it was a short staircase leading up. There was a large fireplace with comfortable overstuffed furniture surrounding it to the right of the door. Over in the corner sat two dark wooden desks, and on the wall to the far left of the door was a large floor to ceiling bookshelf.

The small group of friends all gasped when they saw the room. It wasn't as big as the common room, but it was still large enough that many people could fit comfortably in it at once.

"This is bloody awesome mate," Al said as he gazed around the room, his eyes wide and mouth slightly slack.

"I second that," Mary said from where she was standing next to Rose. The others all nodded in agreement.

"Look at all the books," Was all Rose said as she walked in a dream-like-state over to the rows and rows of books.

She had always wanted a library. She'd begged her dad to turn the old unused room in their house into a library but had been turned down.

Now, running her fingers gently over the old spines of the books, Rose wondered why she hadn't put up more of a fight. It was a truly lovely thing to have a whole shelf dedicated to books, to just walk by and to catch a whiff of old paper, ink, and leather. Rose adored the smell of books. It was one of the reasons why she spent so much time in the library.

"Some of these are first editions," Rose said in awe as she gently picked up an old dark blue book and flipped through it gingerly. "They're beautiful."

"Leave it to Rose to find beauty in something most people would call a pain," Mary said smiling fondly at Rose as she sat down on the squishy couch.

Rose just gave a huff of annoyance but kept her mouth shut, knowing that trying to sway Mary into loving books like she did would be useless. None of Rose's friends would ever really enjoy reading a good book like she would.

"This is perfect," Al said as he walked around the room looking into every corner. "We can set up all our stuff in here and we won't have to worry about it getting confiscated by Filch"

Back in their second year the Headmistress finally got fed up with the boy's pranks, so to try and stop their almost constant mischief she had given Filch the job of doing random searches in their dorm room. Filch may have been a squib, but he could sniff out contraband a mile away. Most of the boy's prank stock had been thrown out, and ever since they had been hiding them in the weirdest places to keep all their stuff.

"You will do nothing of the sort!" Rose said giving her cousin a glare, "This isn't just Malfoy's dorm Albus, I'll be staying here as well, and if I see even one stink bomb or anything that blows up I'll give you detention with Filch faster than you can blink!"

Al held up his hands to his cousin and backed down "Alright don't get your wand in a knot, I was just thinking."

"Well don't!"

Rose was in no mood for her family's obsessive wild streak, she'd had enough of explosions to last her a lifetime. As she took a breath, Rose realized how fast she went from a calm sleepiness to anger. Less than a minute ago, she had been happily looking at the books, and now she was angry again. She'd need to work on that.

"Love, calm down. You're about to blow a blood vessel," Malfoy said as he placed a warm, soft hand on Rose's shoulder.

Rose's first reaction to Malfoy's touch was wanting to tell him if he touched her one more time she'd turn him into a flobberworm and hex him into next week. Instead, she took a cleansing breath. She gently shrugged off Malfoy's hand and looked at Al.

"All I'm saying is that I don't want anything thing that has to do with pranks in here."

Rose walked over to the couch and sank down opposite to Mary. Making sure that there was still some distance between herself and her friend, Rose cracked open the book and started reading.

Soon everyone was sitting around the fireplace and the place was filled with the sounds of them talking and laughing. Rose sat reading her book, sometimes joining in on the conversation but mostly just reading.

The book was very interesting, and soon Rose was lost in the pages. She read about the history of Unicorns, their nature, habitat, where they came from, and everything about them. Then she reached a chapter about Thestrals, which was just as entertaining. The book was handwritten in small slanting cursive, like most old wizarding books were, and Rose read the beautiful script easily.

She was brought back to the world when she felt a hand touch her shoulder gently. The soft touch made her jump slightly with surprise and her eyes shot up to find Malfoy standing in front of her with his ever-present smirk on his lips.

"Don't do that, you scared me," Rose said as she placed a hand on her rapidly beating heart and stared up at Malfoy with wide eyes.

"Well if you didn't have a silencing bubble cast around you then you would have heard me calling."

Rose squinted at him, confusion pooling in her blue eyes. She didn't remember casting a silencing charm around herself. She didn't even have her wand on her, it was over on the bookshelf where she had left it. But now that she thought about it, at some point the talk did seem to have faded.

Rose was just about to ask Malfoy if he had maybe cast the charm when she looked past his right shoulder and saw who was standing behind him.

"Mum, Dad!" Rose said standing up quickly.

Besides their parents, the room was empty. It looked like their friends had left at some point. Rose felt a little twinge of sadness when she thought of her friends all sitting on their beds talking and laughing, like they always did before they went to bed.

"Hello, Rose," Hermione replied, smiling at her daughter. Ron grinned at Rose as well and his blue eyes sparkled as he looked at his little girl.

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked as she nervously tucked some of her flaming red hair behind her ear, far too aware of how close Malfoy was standing.

She now noticed that Malfoy had changed and was now wearing a pair of jeans and an old well-worn grey T-shirt that had the name of a muggle band printed on the front. It looked very soft and comfortable. His hair was more untidy than usual and fell across his forehead.

He looked adorable which irked Rose.

"We came to discuss what will be happening during the holidays," Mrs. Malfoy answered for Hermione and Rose squinted at them in confusion.

"What about the Holidays?"

Hermione gave her an odd look, "We need to figure out where you two will be going for Christmas break" She said stiffening slightly, "To whose house more precisely."

 **~oOo~**

 **Astoria's POV**

Astoria had never been in the Gryffindor common room before. She looked around with interest as she, Draco, Ron, and Hermione stepped into the room. It was large and very cosy with large squashy armchairs and couches, the heavy red and gold drapes, and a big roaring fire. It was so different from the Slytherin common, which was cold and dark. It somehow felt far more at home then the Slytherin common room ever had.

The small group headed toward what Astoria supposed was the boy's staircase and climbed it quickly. They stepped into a long somewhat narrow hallway with doors lining each side of them, each one with a golden number on them ranging from one to seven.

With Ron in the lead, they walked down the hall until they reached a slightly larger door of a deeper colour wood. On the door, carved out of the wood and painted gold was the number eight, making the door seem older, antique.

Astoria frowned slightly when she saw Ron smile fondly at the door, glancing at Hermione who smiled back, but she thought nothing of it and just put it under the category of odd things the Weasleys did.

"Are you going to knock or just stand out here all night?" Draco asked suddenly smirking, making Astoria give him a warning look.

With a huff of annoyance and an irritated look toward Draco, Ron knocked on the door. After a moment of silence, there were the soft sounds of a book being put down and then the sound of bare feet on the floors.

The door opened a moment later and Scorpius stepped into the doorway. Astoria felt a smile tug at her lips when she saw her son. Sometimes he could make her smile over the smallest little things. This time it was his choice of clothes that she found amusing.

He chose to wear something very muggle with his jeans, t-shirt, and untidy hair. Suffice to say, this was not an outfit that he would have worn around the house.

"Oh? Hey," Scorpius said looking flustered with his parents showing up on his doorstep. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We came to talk," Astoria answered, "May we come in?"

My, Astoria thought, this is quite a polite conversation. She couldn't remember the last time she had so formally spoken with her son.

"Yeah, of course," Scorpius said stepping aside and making a gesture for them to enter.

They all walked past Scorpius, and Astoria had to stop herself from reaching out and brushing some of her son's hair away from his eyes. It was a habit she usually did when it had fallen across his forehead.

The room they entered was lit only by a bright fire, making the red and gold drapes look dark and almost mystical. The space looked very cosy and inviting even in the dim light.

The first thing Astoria noticed was the girl sitting on the couch.

Rose had taken off her outer robes and boots. The first few bottoms of her shirt were undone and her tie hung loosely around her neck. Her stocking covered legs were pulled up to her chest, and sitting on her lap was a large dark blue book. Rose sat reading with her head bent slightly over the book, her hair pulled up into a messy bun with a few pieces of her curls hanging down to frame her face.

Hermione opened her mouth as if to call to Rose, but Scorpius interrupted her before she could talk.

"She won't hear you, Mrs Weasley." Hermione looked at him with alarm and he quickly continued, "She's fine, she's just cast a silencing charm around herself. I'll get her."

Scorpius walked over to Rose and stopped in front of her, reaching out to tap her on her shoulder. Rose jumped slightly and looked up quickly at Scorpius, placing a hand on her no-doubt racing heart.

"Don't do that, you scared me," Rose said as she stared up at Scorpius with wide frightened eyes.

"Well if you didn't have a silencing bubble cast around you then you would have heard me calling," Scorpius answered back. Rose's eyes narrowed in what Astoria thought might be confusion.

She then caught sight of her parents and jumped up from the couch as though it had burnt her, dropping her book on the cushion.

"Mum! Dad!" Rose said surprised, glancing at Scorpius for a moment before looking back at the adults.

"Hello, Rose," Hermione replied, smiling at her daughter, her eyes shining. Astoria could see the love in that smile, it was the same love she felt for her son.

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked and Astoria watched as she nervously tucked some of her flaming red hair behind her ear. Astoria noticed that Rose fidgeted with her hair when she was nervous or unsure.

"We came to discuss what will be happening during the holidays," Astoria answered for Hermione and Rose squinted at her in confusion, her brows bunching together. Even Scorpius looked at his mother with confusion.

"What about the Holidays?" Rose asked glancing at Scorpius again, but he only gave her a shrug.

Hermione gave her daughter an odd look, "We need to figure out where you two will be going for Christmas break," she said stiffening slightly, "To whose house more precisely."

Astoria could see that the Weasley's did not like the idea of their only daughter heading off to a boy's house for Christmas and other breaks, but they had to be fair in this all. If they got to see their daughter during some of the breaks, then she wanted to see her son, especially after everything that had happened.

Whenever Scorpius left for Hogwarts, Astoria missed him terribly. She missed the late night talks they would have in the kitchen, drinking hot chocolate and just enjoying each other's company, while waiting for Draco's shift at the hospital to end.

Astoria loved that her husband was the head doctor at St. Mungos. She loved that he helped people every day and Draco loved it as well. It made him happy. But sometimes Astoria just wished he was home, and when Scorpius wasn't there the large house was empty and lonely.

Astoria and Draco had agreed with the Weasleys that they need to come talk to the children, see what they wanted to do. She watched as Rose closed her eyes for a moment, seeming to compose herself.

"Do we really have to?" Rose asked opening her bright blue eyes and focusing them on her parents.

"Yes, honey, we do. We won't be here much longer and we need a plan before we leave," Hermione said, giving her daughter an apologetic look.

Rose nodded "Well then, please sit down. I have a feeling this may take a while."

While everyone got settled on the couches and chairs, Rose grabbed her book and walked over to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. When she returned, Astoria saw her slipping her wand into the sleeve of her shirt subtly.

Rose gave Scorpius a glare when she saw that he had taken the only chair left. There was still room on the other couches, but not enough for Rose to sit comfortably with the Bond still so new. With a scowl, Rose settled on the edge of the armrest, her back to Scorpius.

Astoria gave her son a disapproving look. She had taught him that if a lady didn't have a seat and he did that he should give her his, it was the proper thing to do. Scorpius gave his mother a sheepish look back but didn't move.

"So how is this going to go?" Rose asked clasping her hands together.

"Like the Headmistress said, we need to work out what to do during the breaks," Hermione said shifting slightly on the couches. She looked like she didn't like the subject at all.

"Well," Scorpius said looking around at the adults and Rose. "We could just stay here. It would be the easiest for all of us."

"Absolutely not," Rose said immediately, giving Scorpius an incredulous look. "I always go home during the holidays, it's the only time I get to see my family. I can't stay here while they all go home."

"I don't want to stay here either, but it would be the best though," Scorpius shot back. "There would be no chance that we would upset the Bond. I don't like the idea of going on the train. It's always crowded and people would bump into us right and left."

"Yes, but by then the Bond won't be as new. We should be able to touch people without getting affected," Rose answered back, glaring at Scorpius.

She seems to do that a lot, Astoria thought feeling irritation for this girl.

"We still can't be far apart. I may not know as much about the Bond as you Weasley, but I still understand that we can't be far apart for almost a year after the Bond. How would it work? We can't each go to our houses, they are way too far apart."

"That's why we're here Scorpius," Astoria said before Rose could reply. "We need to figure out a schedule that suits us all."

"Then why don't we just split the holidays. For the first few days of the Christmas break we can go to Weasleys', then we can go to my house. That way we all get to be with our family for the Christmas break," Scorpius said looking around at the others.

"That's what we were thinking and it would work except for one thing," Draco said talking for the first time. "If we do that, then one of you wouldn't be with your family for Christmas."

"But that's easy to fix," Hermione said looking at the Malfoy's, smiling slightly. "If Rose comes to our home for the first few days, then you and Astoria are more than welcome to come and spend Christmas day with us and Scorpius. That way you get to spend Christmas with your son and Rose gets to see her family."

Ron opened his mouth as if to object to this suggestion, but quickly shut it when Hermione discreetly elbowed him in the side.

Astoria turned to Draco and had a silent conversation with her husband.

"Well," Astoria said. "I see no problem with it. That is, if you're sure that it is alright?" She looked at Hermione who nodded smiling at Astoria.

"What do you two think?" Ron asked turning and looking at Rose and Scorpius.

"I don't have a problem with it," Scorpius said with a shrug. "What about you?" He asked glancing at Rose.

"If I get to see my family then I don't care," Rose said grinning, seeming so happy that she was going to see her family at Christmas instead of staying at Hogwarts over the holidays.

"It's settled then," Hermione said smiling as well.

They talked a bit more about the other breaks and soon had a working plan that everyone agreed with and that was fair for both parties. Astoria watched Rose talking to her mum and dad, watching how sweet she was when around them. She smiled and even laughed a little. Her whole demeanour changed, and Astoria saw that Rose was actually could enjoyable to be around.

She was funny, smart, and really quite sweet and caring. Astoria felt herself soften her cold opinion of the girl and admitted to herself that maybe she wasn't as bad as she first appeared. The way she acted with her friends and family showed her that Rose was a beautiful and enjoyable girl.

But this made her wonder if she could be like this around all the people she cared about and respected, why was she so terrible to Scorpius?

And why did Scorpius not seem to mind?

It was just as they were getting ready to leave that she saw it. They were all getting to their feet and pulling their coats on when Astoria looked over at Scorpius.

Rose was still smiling from something her father had said, looking happy for maybe the first time since the Bond with her blue eyes sparkling. Both she and Scorpius were still sitting down with Rose turned slightly away from him so that Scorpius was out of her line of sight.

Scorpius turned to look at Rose and in just a split second when he thought no one was looking, his face softened. His grey eyes were bright as ever, but there was something different about them now. Something was shining in his eyes, something warm, soft and maybe even a little hopeful.

But just as fast as it had appeared, it was gone. Scorpius looked away, his expression hard, his eyes hiding everything. Astoria had still seen it though. She didn't know what was gleaming in her son's eyes, all she knew was that it was far from contempt.

There was more to the story than she had been led to believe. Scorpius had always talked about how much he avoided Rose Weasley's company and that it was mutual. But she knew she had seen something closer to affection than any kind of dislike.

As Astoria looked at her son, she felt her heart sink. She knew Scorpius, but she couldn't read his mind. If Scorpius wasn't careful, he would get very hurt, and Astoria Malfoy had a feeling it would be that beautiful smiling redhead standing next to him who would be the one to break him.

 **~oOo~**

 **Hey, guys. I'm so sorry for such a late update. I was sick this weekend and forgot to update on Saturday, but I promise that I will update on time this coming Saturday.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. It isn't one of my favourites but I think it's a good one, you guys get to see a bit more about what Astoria thinks about the Bond. I promise more will happen next chapter, and hopefully you guys like that chapter as well.**

 **If you like this chapter PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW :) and tell me what you think. I love hearing from you guys.**

 **Well, I'll see you guys later.**

 **Cara**


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 5**

 **November 24th**

 **Sunday**

 **~oOo~**

"Come on Ro!" Mary pleaded in between bites of her breakfast.

"I don't feel up to it today Mar, but you guys go and have fun." Rose answered with a tired smile, trying to restrain a yawn.

Rose hadn't slept at all the night before. She had just lied on her back, staring at the white silk that was draped between the four posts of the large king sized bed, and thought.

After that first night in the hospital wing, Rose had vowed that she would never share the same bed as Malfoy, but then she had walked into her new bedroom, the one where only one bed stood.

This was something she wasn't happy with at all.

But that wasn't the reason Rose couldn't sleep. No, the cause of her late night wakenings was the Bond. That stupid, controlling, irritated, Bond. The Bond wasn't happy with her for not getting along with Malfoy. All night it had kept her awake with an almost constant pain in her stomach and the buzz of Malfoy's voice in her head.

It wasn't Malfoy talking to her, though, it was as if the Bond was just bringing up old memories and playing them over and over again in her head. They were sweet things, things that would make any girl melt, that Rose had answered with rudeness and insults.

Suffice to say, Rose was feeling pretty guilty by the end of the night. She was exhausted, and the thought of the long cold hike down to the Hogsmeade village made her want to groan.

"But Ro, we need to find our dresses and this might be our last Hogsmeade weekend before the ball," Lizzy said pleadingly.

Every year, Hogwarts held the Yule Ball. It used to only be held when the Triwizard Tournament was taking place, but since the Battle of Hogwarts, it had been held every year.

It was an event that made Rose both happy and anxious. It was nice to dress up, nice to dance with her friends and just have fun, it was nice to just relax. But this fun had faded slightly as the years went on. Because no longer where they elven-year-old giggling girls. Because every year boys came up to her friends and asked them to be their date to the ball and every year Rose was the only one that didn't get asked. This wasn't because no one wanted to go with her, on the contrary, plenty of boys did, but they never asked because of Al. Because he was always by her side at this event and no one wanted to cross Albus Potter.

And this year, after everything Rose had thought she would have just the right excuse not to go.

But as she looked at all their hopeful pleading faces, she felt her resolve weaken.

"Please, Rose!" All four girls pleaded, each one doing their best puppy eyes impression.

"Oh alright," Rose said with a sigh. She bit her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling as the girls all let out cheers, making people up and down the table look at them.

"Do you need anything in Hogsmeade?" Rose asked looking at Malfoy sitting next to her.

"Nay, anything I need I just order and get delivered here. It's a lot easier than waiting for the next Hogsmeade weekend.

Rose's eyes lit up and she turned to her friends, opening her mouth to speak.

"No," Grace cut in. "We need to try the dresses on and see how they look. We can't just order it and pay money for them when we don't know if we'll like it when we're wearing them." Grace crossed her arms and gave Rose a look from across the table.

"Fine, we'll go to Hogsmeade."

Rose looked up at the Magic ceiling of the Great Hall, grimacing at the dark sky and winds outside.

"Why aren't you eating?" Malfoy's warm breath tickled Rose's neck as he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"I'm just not hungry, " Rose answered curtly, looking away from Malfoy's disbelieving face.

Malfoy looked like he was about to push the issue, but then the girls went very quiet across from them. Looking around, Rose saw why. At the entrance of the Great Hall was Kile, Ashley's ex-boyfriend. He seemed to have recovered from his injuries and was now walking straight toward Ashley.

"Oh no," Rose glanced across the table to see Ashley trying to hide behind Mary, whose face was hard as stone.

Rose felt pity for her friend. Ashley had loved Kile, and they had been dating since last year. How could she not have strong feels for him? She also felt anger toward Kile for breaking Ashley's heart. If he didn't want to go out with Ashley anymore, why hadn't he just broken up with her?

But instead, he led her on for weeks! Letting her think that everything was fine, while behind her back he was snogging another girl.

Rose met Kile's eyes, daring him to come within a yard of Ashley. Kile stopped dead in his tracks, locking eyes with Rose, pleading with her silently to understand.

Kile was a Ravenclaw. If he turned down the centre aisle, he was going to try and talk to Ashley. But if he headed toward the blue tablecloth covered table, they were safe.

Kile must have seen something harden in Rose's eyes because after a moment he gave a small shake of his head and turned to walk over to his table.

"Come on," Rose said standing from the table, looking at Ashley who was trembling slightly, tears pooling in her eyes. "Let's go to Hogsmeade."

 **~oOo~**

Rose always thought that the village looked prettiest in winter. The snow fell gently from the grey clouds above, littering the streets and rooftops in a layer of soft white.

Rose walked close by Malfoy's side. Pressing herself against him in an effort to stay warm from the cold air around them. The whole group was there: Mary, Ashley, Grace, Lizzy, Al, James, Fred, and all the rest of the male Gremlins. Rose smiled as she watched James and Fred playfully tease Al. Al gave them both a shove trying hard not to smile

Everything was easy and laid back. The group had been laughing since they had left the castle, and Rose felt happy to know that something would never change.

"We'll see you guys later," Rose said smiling at the group of boys as they split paths. The boys went toward the joke shop while Rose, Malfoy, and the girls headed for the clothing shop on the corner.

Malfoy didn't look too happy about going clothes shopping while the guys all went to buy more joke supplies, but he didn't complain. Rose felt a little twinge of guilt as Malfoy walked by her side. In the past, she would have been sure that he was just acting and that any moment he would start whining. But now she knew he wouldn't.

The bell above the door jingled happily as the group entered the store and Rose breathed in the sweet smell of perfume.

They walked deeper into the shop and Rose looked around at the familiar light blue walls and the sharp white trim. There were rows of shirts, pants, skirts, and every piece of clothing a person could want. But Rose knew that there was more than meets the eyes with this shop.

There were a few people scattered around the shop, most of them girls and a few guys who were leaning against walls or racks looking bored as their girlfriends searched through row after row of clothing.

"Girls!" Rose turned and smiled at the cheerful greeting to see Maggie, the shop owner, walking briskly toward them.

Maggie was a woman in her late twenties or early thirties with thick honey blond hair that she always had hanging in pretty curls around her face. Her blue eyes sparkled with kindness and joy, and her smile was large and welcoming.

Maggie walked up to the girls and hugged each one in turn and almost hugged Rose before she pulled back just in time. Maggie glanced at Malfoy and she gave Rose a look that wasn't pity but somewhere close to it.

"Oh, Rose!" Maggie said in her light pretty voice, concern lacing her every word, "I heard what happened, I've been so worried about you. How are you doing?"

Rose gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Maggie. After the first day, it got easier."

"I couldn't imagine going through something like that. Oh, it must have been such a shock!"

Maggie's gaze sharpened as she looked at Malfoy standing just behind Rose. There was a moments pause before Maggie's intense gaze turned friendly. "You must be Scorpius. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Finally?" Malfoy raised a blond eyebrow in question and Maggie laughed lightly.

"I've heard a lot about you from my female Hogwarts customers. Not to mention all I've heard from Rose here," Maggie smiled as Rose blushed. It was true, she had talked many times to Maggie about Malfoy though mostly it was just to vent about how she couldn't stand him. There was one time though that she had admitted that he was very attractive, and maybe she could like him if he wasn't such a prat.

Rose didn't have to look at Malfoy to know that he was smirking at her. "We've come to look at dresses for the Ball Maggie. Have you got any new ones since that last time we were in?" Rose said suddenly, desperate to change the subject before something embarrassing slipped.

"Actually, I just got some new options in that I thought you girls would love. Follow me."

They weaved through the racks and rows of clothes and headed toward the back corner where there was a large door marked in white letters.

 _EMPLOYEES ONLY._

The room behind the door was all white with rows and rows of glittering and sparkling dress. They were all colour coded and were organized by their make and length. There were dresses in every colour and shade under the sun: reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, purples, whites, blacks, greys, and every colour in between. Sparkles and lace surrounded the girls filling them with excitement.

The girls instantly scattered to the racks as Maggie moved onto the back. She said that she would grab the new dresses and that they should look around to see if there were any dresses they liked in the meantime.

Rose headed straight over to the blue dresses with Mary at her side.

They both started pulling out dresses they liked and holding them up to show the other, asking for their opinion.

"Here we are!" The girls looked up to see Maggie coming down the main aisle holding about a dozen dresses in her hands.

She then distributed the dresses out among the girls giving out her recommendations on what would look best on everyone.

Maggie handed Rose three dresses. The first was a light blue number that matched Rose's eyes almost perfectly. It was beautiful with an off-shoulder neckline and very small jewels that scattered down until it met with the pretty bunched fabric belt leading to a long flowing skirt.

The second one was a pretty periwinkle purple with a single thick right shoulder strap that had tiny crystal butterflies scattered across the top of the dress. There was also a thin crystal belt across the high waist, and the skirt fell down in long sweeping petals of fabric.

The third dress was royal blue with a high neck that gave it a very regal look. The fabric lightened on the way down so that by the time it reached the ends of the skirt it was crystal white. It gave the gown a melting effect that was stunning.

Rose took in the breath-taking dresses in awe. No matter how many times she came to this shop, she could not help but be amazed by Maggie's beautiful gowns.

And the amazing thing was that she made them all herself.

Maggie was a fashion witch that had dedicated her life the making her own clothing line. She had shops all over but liked to stay and personally run the one in Hogsmeade, it being the first shop she opened. That, and she loved the kids that came in from Hogwarts.

Rose walked over to an open stall carrying the dresses Maggie had given her. She suddenly remembered Malfoy, he had to be close while she went into the stall.

"Umm, there's a bench right there you can sit on while I'm trying these on," Rose said motioning to the bench pushed against the wall right next to the stall. Malfoy smirked before moving to sit.

Rose gave him a look before ducking into the stall, locking the door behind her and hanging the dress on the hooks that lined the wall.

It took a while to try them all on. One after another, the dresses were pulled up, admired, and then either approved of or not. When Rose was trying on her last dress, she could hear her friends exiting their stalls and calling out that they had chosen a favourite.

Rose finished zipping up the last dress and looked at herself in the mirror. No, the off-the-shoulder neckline wouldn't do at all. She reached behind her to unzip it.

Rose stared hard at the remaining two dresses. After a moment, Rose gently took down the one that she had loved the most and slipped into it.

This dress had a lace-up back which took more work, but the result was beautiful. Rose approved.

The stall door creaked softly as Rose stepped out. Everyone turned at the sound, and all of them sighed and awed.

Lizzy stepped aside as Rose walked toward them so that she could have her turn in front of the mirror.

Rose had picked the third dress Maggie had handed her. The high neck of the dress was beautiful and Rose loved the melting effect. It seemed perfect for the Yule Ball.

The dress hugged Rose perfectly in a way the showed off her hourglass figure, but it also wasn't too tight The thin crystal belt around her waist caught the light and added just a touch of sparkle to the dress. But Rose's favourite thing about the dress was the fabric. It shimmered with a layer of glitter making her look like she stepped out of a fairytale winter wonderland.

Maggie grinned as all the girls oohed and awed, "I knew you would like that one Rose and I must say it suits you perfectly."

"You all look so beautiful!" Rose exclaimed getting a good look at the girl's dresses.

Lizzy, Grace, and Mary gathered around Rose. Lizzy's dark green dress emphasized her deep hazel eyes. Grace had chosen a deep purple gown that formed a small train behind her. And Mary's light blond hair contrasted beautifully with the light blue hi-low dress she wore. Everyone looked so lovely.

The creak of the stall door told them Ashley was coming out and the girls turned to see.

Her slender figure stepped out of the stall with a few delicate steps, and all the girls stared in shock.

Sweet conservative Ashley was wearing a gown that could only be described as sexy. It was deep red with a low-cut neckline and a slit up the right side of her leg.

"Is it too much?" Ash asked quietly after a moment of silence. She stepped out completely and let the door swing shut behind her. The bang of the door broke everyone's shocked stupor.

"No no!" Mary said stepping forward to gently lead Ashley in front of the mirrors. "You look beautiful!"

And it was true. Once you got over the immediate shock of seeing Ashley in a dress so revealing, it was easy to see it was made for her. In truth, the dress wasn't even that revealing, it was the fact Ashley was wearing it that was a shock to them all. Rose could even feel Malfoy's surprise and amusement radiating to her through the Bond.

"Mary's right Ash, you're gorgeous," Rose said smiling at her friend as she turned in front of the mirrors.

"You all look beautiful," Maggie said smiling at the girls. "Does everything fit nicely, if not I can make some adjustments."

After some quick adjustments to each dress, the girls walked back into their stalls to change. Rose was opening her stall door when she looked over at Malfoy watching her. She hadn't even glanced at him when she had walked out. She felt a little guilty for ignoring him, he was her fate-decided date to the ball.

Before she could think about what she was doing, Rose stepped forward and stretched out her arms slightly looking at Malfoy. "So what do you think?"

Malfoy stood up from his seat and stepped closer to Rose. She felt her breath hitch slightly at the sudden close proximity.

Rose stared up at Malfoy with wide blue eyes meeting his stormy grey ones with an unsure gaze.

After a moment, Malfoy reached down and gently grasped Rose's hand in his own. Taking a small step back, he lifted it above her head and turned Rose slowly, making her dress shimmer slightly.

"I think you look beautiful."

That soft comment startled Rose more than Malfoy's close proximity had, and as she came to a stop in front of him she saw something in his eyes that she'd seen before, but had never been able to place.

They stared at each other for a long moment, Rose's blue eyes studying his grey ones with intensity. The air seemed to thin all of a sudden, her hand felt hot and electrified as he held it, and his eyes, dammit, his eyes were so grey, so intense, they seemed to suck her in, she was drowning in them.

Both then her brain seemed to kick back into gear and she pulled her hand away, taking a much-needed step back. This seemed to snap Malfoy out of it to, he took step back as well, clearing his throat, he quickly looked away.

"Thank you," Rose muttered, wondering why she was so short of breath.

She stepped back and fumbled with a trembling hand for the doorknob to the stall. Rose opened it and stepped in, shutting the door quickly behind her. She closed her eyes and took a breath. What on earth had just happened? Why did that look in Malfoy's eyes make her feel weak in the knees and make a warm fuzzy feeling bloom in her chest?

Rose shook her head and reached behind her back to unlace her dress.

After paying and saying their goodbyes to Maggie, the girls and Malfoy left the shop and walked the short distance to The Three Broomsticks where they had planned to meet the guys.

Rose let out a sigh and pushed back the hood of her cloak as she stepped into the warmth of The Three Broomsticks, her cheeks and the tip of her nose flushed slightly red from the harsh cold outside.

The place was very crowded with many different witches and wizards and other occupants Rose knew weren't of the human race. Rose found herself drawing closer to Malfoy as they carefully walked through the crowd, trying very hard not to touch anyone.

"Mary and I will get some butterbeers. You try and find the guys," Grace stated, and after handing the girls their bags, they walked off into the crowd in the direction of the bar.

"Can you see them?" Lizzy asked standing on her tippy toes and looking around, trying to see over the heads of the crowd. Malfoy who was the tallest in the group and had the easiest time seeing past everyone was the first to spot them.

The guys were all sitting in a large circle booth in the back, laughing and joking loudly with bottles of butterbeer held in their hands.

"They had to choose the booth farthest away from the door didn't they?" Rose grumbled as she barely managed to slide past a pair of very large wizards who were laughing boisterously and looked very drunk.

"Rosie!" Al yelled when he caught sight of his cousin, grinning so widely that Rose couldn't help but smile back.

 _He's such an idiot_ , Rose thought fondly, shaking her head at the cousin that she loved so much.

The guys all moved aside to make room for the newcomers, Rose and Malfoy took the seats closest to the end so they wouldn't be sandwiched between the others.

Moments later, Mary and Grace came back holding butterbeers for all the girls and Malfoy. Malfoy objected that he should be the one buying the drinks only to be told to shut up and have a butterbeer shoved into his hand.

The talk was easy and cheery, not to mention loud, but Rose enjoyed it. It reminded her of the past, when they would all come down to Hogsmeade and just sit in The Three Broomsticks, happy to be away from the castle for a few hours.

To Rose, this was perfect. This was the way things should be.

But Rose knew that after this year the group wouldn't be so laid back. Once they entered their seventh year, they would all start worrying about the future after Hogwarts. There would be guidance counselling, planning, not to mention the stress that would fall on all their shoulders when they realized that they would need to get good grades so that they could get a decent job after school. Rose knew that once this sank into all their minds that the group would lose this sense of bliss they all felt.

They had no real responsibility, no real worries yet. And once they did, the joking would fade, and soon make even the laughter end. Rose knew that it wasn't all dark and grey, but she also knew that things would change a lot and that after this year, nothing would be the same.

 **~oOo~**

Rose sat on the ground in front of the fire, holding out her hands to warm them by the flame. The walk back up to the castle had been a long cold one and Rose was very grateful to be back inside the warm walls of Hogwarts.

The whole group had all come up to Rose's and Malfoy's dorm and they were scattered all over the room and the sound of their talk filled Rose's ears as she sat with her legs crossed on the floor. A movement in her lap made Rose look down and smile at the bundle of fur.

Rose's kitten, Jinx, which she had gotten at the beginning of the year was curled up in her lap, her soft black and white fur looking darker in the light of the fire. Jinx was a playful kitten, almost always up to something, thus she was given the name Jinx.

Rose had missed her cat in the past few days and stroked the soft fur lovingly as Jinx rolled onto her back and yawned, her tiny soft pink tongue curling slightly, and her eyes scrunching up so adorably.

"Finally got that cat to sit still, have you?" Rose looked up as Malfoy sat down next to her, crossing his legs and warming his hands in front of the fire.

Jinx and Malfoy had never gotten along, not since the kitten had gotten into Malfoy's stash of prank supplies at the beginning of the year and tore all of it up with her small sharp teeth.

"Still holding a grudge against my kitten Malfoy?" Rose asked with smirk

"That's not a kitten Weasley, that's a Hippogriff in disguise and a bad-tempered one at that," Malfoy sent Jinx a glare that plainly said 'You're not fooling me' and looked away, taking a sip from his butterbeer.

"A Hippogriff. Really?" Rose couldn't help but smile at the look of sincerity on Malfoy's face. She glanced down at the small fluffy kitten curled up in her lap and let out a chuckle. Jinx was anything but a bad-tempered Hippogriff.

They both looked up when Al sat down heavily next to Malfoy, with a sigh that was both frustrated and dejected.

"What's up with you?" Malfoy asked before taking another sip of his drink. Malfoy shifted so that he could uncurl his legs from underneath him and bent them so that he could rest his arms on his knees, turning his head to look at Al.

"Abigail. Saw her flirting with that twat Gibbings on the way up from the kitchens," Al answered miserably.

Rose just sighed.

Since second or third year Al had had a crush on a girl, Abigail or as she was usually called, Abby. Over the past few years, the crush had just grown and Al had grown more desperate. What Rose found very irritating about the whole situation was the fact that they both liked one another, Abby had told Rose before that she liked Al and Rose had lost count of the times she had to sit and listen to Al talk about Abby.

Abby was a wonderful person, she was kind, thoughtful, funny, not to mention she was attractive and Rose knew that if Al didn't act soon that Abby would get swept away. Already she had been in two serious relationships, though both of them had ended and from what Rose had heard, Abby had been the one to end them.

Rose had spent time with Abby before and found that she liked the girl very much and, in her opinion, she was perfect for Al. She liked a good laugh and was a fan of Quidditch but was also quite smart and liked reading, not as much as Rose but she could still sit down and read a good book for longer than two minutes, unlike Al.

Rose gave a small huff of annoyance and tuned out the familiar conversation that was started next to her. At first, Rose had been sympathetic toward Al, understanding his hesitation to talk to the girl and his worrying that she wouldn't feel the same but it had been years and he had done nothing.

Rose was actually quite mad at her cousin when it came to Abigal Finn because not only was he hurting himself by not talking to her but he was also hurting Abby who so obviously liked him. Rose could see the hope in Abby's eyes when Al walked past her in the hallways, thinking that maybe he was going to talk to her but Al always just walked past her after a sheepish look or a smile tossed her way.

But Rose could see that Abby was still holding out hope that Al liked her every time she looked at him from across the Great Hall.

Rose felt that it was unfair of Al not to do anything, to just string her along with smiles and glances. But Rose kept her mouth shut and didn't tell Al what she thought about all this, it wasn't her place.

Rose looked over at Malfoy next to her and suddenly a thought formed in her head, taking her aback. She would never get a choice like Al and Abby did. She would never get to pick the person she was going to spend the rest of her life with, because of the Bond she couldn't choose.

But just as the trickle of anger and resentment started Rose looked at Malfoy again and she knew that she couldn't complain, she was safe, fed, had a roof over her head, and was loved by a wonderful family and just that in itself was more than enough to be grateful for.

Rose sighed, she had no right to feel sorry for herself for not being able to pick and choose, and she knew that, she did, but even so, she wondered.

 _What would it have felt like to fall in love with someone that she had chosen?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 6**

 **November 25th**

 **Monday**

 **~oOo~**

Rose watched as droplets of water ran down the glass. The small crystal-clear forms sliding along, leaving tiny trails behind them as they went. Some of them met others and merged to form larger drops that slid all the way down the glass until they disappeared out of sight, joining all the other thousands of frozen specks blowing around in the wind.

She was curled up in a large squashy armchair, a cup of cocoa held in her warm hands. Her fluffy sock covered feet were curled up under her and Jinx was cuddled up in her lap fast asleep. It was the first blizzard of the season. The wind was howling and the snow was swirling around in a flurry of white, a sharp contrast to the black night sky behind the clouds. The snowflakes that got stuck on the glass of the large window melted almost immediately, the warmth from inside heating the panels and giving the poor snowflakes no chance to get away before they turned to water and formed small rivers on the glass.

After tossing and turning for a few hours, Rose had finally given a huff of irritation. And at around one in the morning had decided to sod it. She had tossed the warm covers to the side and gently swung her legs over the edge of the large bed, careful not to wake up Malfoy. He was yet again sleeping peacefully on the other side of the bed, despite the storm raging outside. Grabbing her soft white robe from the end the bed and slipping on her matching fluffy socks Rose got up and padded across the room.

Moving a chair so that it sat in front of the window, Rose had summoned a house elf and asked if she could have a mug of cocoa. The house elf had been ecstatic to serve, even at the late hour, and had come back a moment later with a large cup of cocoa topped with a massive amount of whipped cream and shredded chocolate. After thanking the house elf for the cocoa, Rose had settled down in the chair her head resting against the back and her eyes trained on the white storm outside.

Rose absent-mindedly stroked Jinx as she stared into space, wondering about many things. Her grades, classes, her work with Hagrid, her family, and things that she needed to do once the day had started. And the Bond.

She still couldn't quite accept that fact that she was Bonded. And out of all the people she could have possibly been paired with that she'd ended up with Malfoy. Rose's eyes narrowed slightly as she thought.

Why Malfoy?

It was a question that had plagued her since this had all happened. Rose and Malfoy had never gotten along. Sure, there were those few times they had both called a truce, like for dinners they were both attending or when Malfoy was staying with Al. But neither had ever stopped fighting because they wanted to.

Often at dinners with the Potter's, when Malfoy was staying with them, Rose would have to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snapping at something Malfoy had said that she disagreed with. And the dinners were frequent seeing as the Potter's and the Malfoy's had formed a sort of friendship.

With Mr. Malfoy being the head Healer at St. Mungo's he was in charge of arranging the Healers that went on raids with the Aurors. Even after the war, there was still an alarming amount of dark magic and dark artefacts in the Wizarding world. The Ministry did a surprising amount of raids, in which they brought trained Healers with just in case.

Harry and Draco weren't friends and never would be, too much had happened between them during school, but they established an understanding. Draco had worked hard after the war to make a different reputation for the Malfoy family. He had dropped all the prejudice pureblooded beliefs that his family had once depended on and all but worshiped so fiercely. The Malfoy's would never be the great family they were before or during the war. After Lucius was sentenced to thirteen years in Azkaban, Draco and his mother had started over, which had been for the best in the end.

Even after all that Draco had done after the war to prove that he wasn't his father and didn't hold the same beliefs, his family still wasn't accepted. This sadly wasn't unexpected. Most people in the Wizarding World had warmed up to the idea that the Malfoy's weren't the same prejudiced family they once were, mostly because of Harry, but there were still those that thought they were worthless death eaters that should have been thrown into Azkaban.

But while Draco and Harry managed to get along, Rose and Malfoy just couldn't. Rose thought that one of the main reasons for this was the difference between Malfoy and herself. They had some similarities but they differed on some major points. They were always butting heads and arguing and Rose just couldn't see how that was healthy for a relationship.

Call her a romantic dreamer, but she had always imagined that she would have a fairy-tale ending of sorts. She didn't think that she and her prince would walk hand in hand into the sunset completely and utterly in love, but she thought that she'd at least be happy with the person she ended up with.

Rose's gaze flickered to Malfoy and for a moment she could picture him in that scene, holding her hand, walking by her side, gazing at her with love shining in his eyes and her looking up into his grey eyes like he was the only one for her. Both of them alone and trusting each other.

And she was startled to find that it was easy. Her mind found it so simple to picture them together. Happy and in love. Smiling and laughing and just being themselves.

Rose gave a frustrated groan and dropped her head back against the chair, closing her eyes.

Why? Rose thought exasperatedly. Why was this her life?

Just a little more than a week had passed since the Bond and Rose's mind was so messed up and confused. She was starting to imagine Malfoy as the love of her life for Merlin's sake, she'd never thought of anyone as the love of her life! Let alone Malfoy!

Rose lifted the hand that wasn't holding her mug and touched her forehead, wanting to make sure that she didn't have a fever. Unfortunately, she wasn't sick. She couldn't pin the fantasy of Malfoy and her walking out into the sunset on a sudden burst of the flu.

With another sigh, Rose put her empty mug down on a side table and stood up, deciding that these were all things she could think about when the sun was high in the sky. The movement dislodged Jinx from her place by Rose's legs. The small kitten gave Rose a disgruntled look before jumping off the chair and padding over to the bed, setting down at the very foot of the blankets.

Rose followed her cat and with another quiet sigh as she sank into the bed, pulling the blankets up and burrowing herself in the warmth of the silky softness of the bed.

She knew that she wouldn't get any sleep but now that she had had some cocoa and mulled over a few things Rose just wanted to relax and be warm.

But with Malfoy not two feet away she was anything but relaxed.

 **~oOo~**

The blizzard that had started Sunday extended far into the next day. The strong wind and snow battered against the windows in the halls and corridors, threatening to break through the glass and surround them all. The Hogwarts students all wore heavy cloaks and thick clothing, trying and failing to keep warm as they headed for breakfast.

Breakfast was a hurried affair that morning. Everyone wanted to escape the freezing cold Great Hall and get to their warm classrooms as soon as possible. Rose was one of the few that didn't eat. Malfoy all but inhaled his food while Rose only managed to drink a bit of strong black bitter coffee in a vain attempt to kept herself awake.

Along with her ability to sleep, her appetite was quickly fading. The Bond was punishing her. Rose knew it.

The Bond wanted her to make up with Malfoy. To start over and treat him like she would any other person, but Rose found that she just couldn't. She knew that she was being stupid and that it was her pride that was stopping her from putting things right between them.

But Rose felt that if she did what the Bond wanted her to do, if she made up with Malfoy, that it was as good as giving up. There had always been a sort of battle between them and Rose thought, quite stupidly, that if she apologized to Malfoy for all the years of insults and fighting, that she was backing down. Admitting that Malfoy had won.

It wasn't just that, though. Rose was determined that the Bond would not control her. It had already decided too much for her and she would not just roll over and do everything it wanted. If she was going to make amends with Malfoy then she would do it on her own time and terms.

Not when the Bond demanded it of her.

So what if she missed a few nights sleep. She could not, would not, be controlled by something that she could not even see; something that had just appeared out of nowhere to suddenly try and take over her life. Rose didn't really care that she had to give up things like her room or had to change a few classes to accommodate the Bond. That she could handle. But when it started to try and tell her what to feel, that was where Rose put her foot down. She was still her own person and she'd be damned if she was going to let some invisible force control everything she did.

"Mails here." Rose's musings were broken at James's words, and she looked up at the sound of wings flapping to see dozens of owls flying into the Great Hall.

Rose felt bad for the poor things as most of the owls looked half frozen, and as they soared overhead snow sprinkled down from their wings and bodies to dust the all already cold Hogwarts students with a fine layering of the frozen water.

Rose stared up at all the owls circling overhead, trying to spot her snowy owl, Comet, amidst all the others. She didn't have to wait long for a moment later the beautiful large white owl emerged from the rest and circled down to Rose.

"Hello girl," Rose cooed as the owl landed lightly next to her plate.

Comet hooted happily and nipped Rose's outstretched hand affectionately. Rose smiled at her owl and then started to detach the newspaper attached to her leg. After giving Comet a bit of bacon as a treat, Rose opened the paper, expecting to see something about so and so's shop opening or a new upcoming star. Instead, she stopped dead when she saw her name glaring up at her.

ROSE WEASLEY AND SCORPIUS MALFOY SOUL BONDED!

On Monday, November 18th this century's Soul Boned couple connected. Rose Weasley, daughter of war heroes Ronald and Hermione Weasley has been confirmed to be this centuries Soul Bonded along with Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy. The couple is currently in their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An undisclosed source at Hogwarts has given us some insight into the relationship of the newly Bonded Couple, saying "It was a real shock for everyone, it's no secret at Hogwarts that they hate each other. They can't go a few hours without being at each other's throats so when a rumour started going around that they were the Soul Bonded Couple, you could understand why some found it hard to believe. I mean them, Soul Mates, it's absurd but it's the truth none the less."

With this in mind, our reports had to wonder. How will it all end?

The article continued onto the next page but Rose was more focused on the picture of her and Malfoy to the left of the article. It was apparent that it was taken the night after the Bonding when they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Rose was on her side, head resting comfortably on Malfoy's shoulder, arms wrapped loosely around his waist. Malfoy was laying on his back but turned slightly toward Rose, arms wrapped around her in a protective way. His head was bowed so that his face was all but hidden in her red hair. The blankets were tangled around them and Rose watched as the picture Rose snuggled up closer to Malfoy in her sleep, her mouth open slightly in her sleep.

"Aww, Rose you look so cute!"

Rose looked up from the paper and glared across the table at Lily who was looking down at her own paper, grinning slyly. Mary and Lizzy, who were sitting next to Lily, leaned over and looked over her shoulder at the Daily Prophet, their own awws mixing with Lily's, Ashley's, and Grace's as they read the article and watched the picture Rose sleeping next to Malfoy.

James, Hugo, Fred, and Al all had their own paper and the four were looking over the front paper with matching scowls; the latter of which looked up and glared at Malfoy.

With a glance around, Rose could see that all the Hogwarts students were pouring over their own papers; even the teacher had a few copies and Rose could see Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Astoria flipping through the paper with interest; though Ron looked like he wanted to take someone's head off.

The Hogwarts girl's coo's and aww's filled the hall, mixing with the guy's chuckles. It made Rose uncomfortably aware of all the stares she and Malfoy were receiving.

"Well, that's one for the scrapbook," Malfoy commented with a smirk from where he was looking over Rose's shoulder.

Rose scowled at him and made a move to slap his shoulder but he dodged her hand easily.

"Don't be mad, sweetheart. The papers were bound to get wind of it sometime. I'm actually surprised it took them this long to print it."

"I have a feeling Aunt Ginny had something to do with that," Rose commented though she was still scowling at Malfoy. Rose's Aunt worked as one of the main editors for the Daily Prophet and had quite a bit of say in what they printed. "And I'm not your sweetheart."

"Whatever you say Love," Malfoy commented mildly at Rose's glare.

"Scorpius!" Al said warningly from across the table and Hugo glared like Malfoy had said something outrageously inappropriate. Rose just rolled her eyes irritably at her family.

Malfoy had called her Love and Sweetheart for six years now and not once before had Al or Hugo ever corrected him or told him off for doing so. Though the minute there was a chance that anything could happen between them Al turned on Malfoy with bared, warning, teeth.

"This whole protective guard dog thing is getting really old," Rose said glancing down at her watch to check the time before getting up from the table and swinging her bookbag over her shoulder, flicking her long hair back as she did. "You boys," Rose gestured at Al, James, Hugo, and Fred, "Need to get it into your head that I'm not a helpless eleven-year-old girl anymore that needs protecting. I don't need you reprimanding Malfoy for calling me nicknames that he's been calling me for years. It hasn't bothered you for six years so it shouldn't now and even though I love you all very much if you start going around glaring and being all protective again I can't promise I won't hex you all," Rose turned to Malfoy and raised a questioning eyebrow. "You coming?"

Malfoy glanced down at his still half full plate of food then back up at Rose's tenacious gaze. With a sigh, Malfoy reached across the table, nabbed a muffin, then followed Rose's lead. Rose said a quick goodbye to her friends then started out the hall.

"I'll see you guys later," Malfoy offered over his shoulder before catching up to Rose, both of them ignoring the hundreds of pairs of eyes that followed their every step.

~oOo~

Rose wiped her sweaty forehead with a relieved sigh and pushed her somewhat damp hair from her eyes. They were exiting their last class of the day, Potions. Rose usually loved the class, but the hot steam that billowed from their cauldrons, the toxic smells, and the overall heat of the room as they brewed their potions was too much for Rose when she was already so tired and hungry.

"Have a good day everyone!" Mrs. Hawkens smiled as Rose and Malfoy passed her desk, heading for the door. Rose offered her kind professor a smile. She then all but ran toward the door that would provide her with cold air that would cool her flushed and sweaty skin.

"Thank Merlin," Rose said as she and Malfoy started walking down the dungeon corridor, in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Malfoy glanced furtively at Rose as they walked, "You alright? You seemed a bit on edge in there."

Rose nodded rather curtly as they started to climb slowly up the stairway in order to get out of the dungeon and reach level ground. "I'm fine."

Rose had always had the utmost respect for the Founders of Hogwarts. They had given her this castle and this opportunity in life and for that, she'd be eternally grateful. But Rose didn't think she could ever forgive Gryffindor for his choice of placing their common room at the top of the highest tower. Just to reach her bed at the end of the day Rose had to climb seven flights of stairs, all of which had at least twenty steps. It was a good thing that Rose never forgot her homework or bookbag because if she had to rush back to the tower to retrieve what she'd forgotten she'd be very late for class.

Usually getting up to the common room at the end of the day wasn't a big deal, Rose was fit and could easily go up and down but today all she wanted was to just slide into bed, cuddle up under all the warmth of the blankets, and sleep until next week and she did not want to haul herself up all those stairs to do that.

Their last class ended at three thirty so they still had a few hours until dinner. Hours Rose was hoping to spend sleeping.

They had just reached the Entrance Hall when Rose let out a groan of dismay. Malfoy stopped as well and turned to Rose, "What? What's wrong?"

"We need to go the hospital remember?"

Just before they had entered their Potions class they had received a note from Pomfrey telling them to go directly to the hospital wing after their class.

"Come on," Rose said with a sigh as she held out her hand toward Malfoy. He stared at her with a bemused expression and after glancing at her outstretched hand he shot her a closed off look that Rose didn't understand.

"We need to hold hands to travel with the portkeys," Rose explained in an 'Are-you-really-this-stupid' type voice.

Understanding flashed in Malfoy's eyes and if Rose wasn't mistaken, a faint blush tinted his pale cheeks, making Rose wonder what he'd thought she meant by the gesture. Unfortunately, she didn't have a chance to find out because as she reached out with the Bond to check she was met with only resistance.

The fact that Malfoy was blocking her out made Rose more suspicious, but the next moment Malfoy had grasped Rose's hand and pinched the little circular port key between his thumb and forefinger and before Rose could think any more about it, they were both pulled forward.

It was unlike any portkey Rose had ever taken; instead of being lurched forward and spun around, it felt as if they were being gently pulled forward. Their feet left the ground and it was as if they were floating while moving forward.

The closest thing Rose could compare it to was flying. Not on a broom or on an animal, but simply flying through the air; being supported by nothing.

It was a sensation that Rose found very pleasurable. But unfortunately, it only lasted for a few seconds before their feet landed back on solid ground with a soft 'thud'.

Rose shook her head to clear it; teleporting from one place to another was slightly jarring no matter how gentle.

They were standing just inside the Hospital wing's large glass front doors and, upon looking around, Rose noticed three things; the first being how much brighter it was in the Hospital then the Entrance Hall.

Rose supposed this was due to the fact that almost everything in the Hospital wing was white and the light trickling in through the windows, even with a blizzard going on outside, was reflecting making the room much brighter than it would have been if everything was the normal dark greys and browns of the rest of the castle.

The second thing Rose noticed was the group standing at the other end of the Hospital. Rose's parents were there of course, along with Malfoy's Mum and Dad, while Madam Pomfrey and her assistant were bustling around; picking up potions and writing things down. The Headmistress was also there, talking intensely to the four parents.

The last thing Rose noticed made her quite confused. There, standing next to the Headmistress, was a witch. Her jet-black hair was cut just before it touched her narrow shoulders with several strands of silver mixed in; that along with the wrinkles adorning her otherwise smooth face lead Rose to believe that she wasn't in the prime of her youth anymore.

"Ah Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley you're here. Very good, come over here dears and sit down." Rose and Malfoy were bustled over to one of the beds in the back on the wing by a very brisk moving Madam Pomfrey.

As they were shepherd past their parents, Hermione gave Rose a slight smile that did nothing to assure Rose that nothing was wrong.

Rose sat down on the side of the bed and watched with slight confusion as Madam Pomfrey moved around them, muttering to herself about potions and spells.

 _'Wonder what all this is about.'_

Malfoy's sudden voice in her head startled Rose more than it should have and she jumped slightly in fright, placing a hand over her heart before turning accusing eyes on Malfoy.

"Warn me before you do that" Rose huffed, rolling her eyes exasperatedly, muttering something along the lines of 'Your going to be the death of me' under her breath.

"Have you two been working on getting along better?" Madam Pomfrey came bustling back over to them, a calculating look shining in her eyes.

Rose and Malfoy's silence was answer enough for Madam Pomfrey and she gave a sigh before motioning for Rose to lift her arm.

Rose obeyed and lifted her arm and turned it so that the palm of her hand was facing up. Madam Pomfrey tapped the tip of her wand on Rose's wrist; muttering a spell that would show the red-headed girl's vitals and out of the corner of her eye Rose saw Malory doing the same to Malfoy.

Rose and Malfoy stayed silent as they got their check-ups; though Rose's eyes were trained on the mystery witch that was talking in a hushed voice to her parents.

Rose nudged Malfoy next to her when Madam Pomfrey's back was turned and jerked her head in the direction of the witch.

'Who's she?'

Malfoy glanced at the witch for a moment before shrugging.

'No clue. I've never seen her around the castle before' Rose could hear the puzzlement in Malfoy's voice and she started to feel a bit on edge.

"Alright, we're done." Rose looked up at Madam Pomfrey's voice to see her finish scribbling something on her clipboard.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey, Malory," Mystery witch said in a light moderate voice, nodding to both of them in turn as she seized the clipboards they held out to her.

The witch started looking through the few pages on each board as she rounded the bed, coming to a stop next to Malfoy. She scanned both boards, nodding and humming every once and a while before she turned and grabbed a chair to pull over to the side of the bed; sitting down and once again looking at the papers.

"Alright," The witch looked up from the boards after looking through the last page to smile at both of them. It was the type of smile that one couldn't help but feel calmed by; easy and kind. "You're probably both wondering who I am so let us get the basics out of the way. My name is Freya Lynde and I'm a Healer at St. Mungos; I work with all sorts of odd or unknown curses and spells. Madam Pomfrey contacted me this morning and asked that I come and look into your case to see if I could help in any way."

The way she spoke, moved and even smiled gave off an air of confidence in what she was doing.

"So, I've come today to make an assessment on both of you. To see what I can do to help you both through the next few months with as few problems as possible. To start, I'm going to ask both of you a few questions to see where we stand. Is that alright with you?"

Rose wasn't sure if she trusted this mysterious confident healer. She had never trusted people quickly. To her, trust was a thing to be earned, not given freely to just anyone. The Bond was big, important, and very personal. How could she know if she could trust this lady?

Rose looked over to her mum who was watching this all silently. Hermione gave her daughter a small nod that assured Rose that her mum trusted this Healer. If Hermione trusted her, then Rose would do so as well.

"Good," Miss Lynde said smiling as both teens nodded their agreement. "I'm going to ask you both a few questions. Nothing too hard, just the basics of what I need to know. Ladies first so I'll start with you Rose; can I call you Rose?"

Rose wanted to point out that she already had but that would seem rude so she opted for a nod instead.

"Wonderful. First question Rose. How has your magic been acting? Anything strange been happening? Flares in power, uncontrollable bursts? Anything at all out of the ordinary?"

Rose frowned at the question. "No. My magic has been working just fine. Why? Is it supposed to be acting up?"

"Rose," Miss Lynde leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows on her knees, looking at both teens intensely. "Do you know what the Bond does to the couple involved." When Rose shook her head Miss Lynde leaned back in her chair. "Essentially it combines everything besides your physical selves. Before you two were Bonded, you were both living with only half a soul; then you turned sixteen Rose and the curse was set into motion. Your soul was never complete, it was always missing its other half and that night it was finally whole."

"Do either of you two know how a Soul Bonded couple comes to be?" Both Rose and Malfoy shook their heads and Miss Lynde looked at them for a moment before continuing. "I think the best way to explain this would be to give you a bit of background on Soul Bonding. I'm sure you've been told the basics, that you two were meant to be, but it's so much more than that. It happens when the child is born. Something about the time or the events that take place before or after the birth determine whether or not the child's soul is whole or not. Of course, it's very rare for everything to line up so that the child's soul is not whole which is why Soul Bonded couples are so rare, but every few decades things line up just so and a child is born with only half its soul, the other half belonging to another child."

"Now to only have half a soul won't affect a child's life all that much. They will feel that there is always something missing, a piece of them that isn't there, but all in all they have a normal childhood. It's when they turn sixteen that everything changes. Now while having half a soul won't affect a child, it will affect an adult drastically; it can make them heartless, uncaring, and cruel. It can turn them into something less than human. Which is why the Bond takes action when both people are sixteen and starting to enter adulthood. Your souls connect and become one, tying an unbreakable bond between both people that brings them closer. Making you both Soul Mates."

"But besides merging your souls together, it also changes your magic. From what I've been told you two are both very bright, coming in tied for first in almost all your classes, so your magic levels were already above average. But now that you two are Bonded, they are unbelievably high, because when the curse took place it not only connected your souls, it combined your magic as well."

Throughout this speech Rose had remained silent, listening to what Miss Lynde was saying. But at this, she made a little sound deep in throat and stared wide-eyed at the Healer. "Are you saying that our magic is now stronger?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying. You now have the magical level of both of you combined with the added magic the Bond gives you. Which means, you can do magic only a few wizard and witches in the world can do."

"How can that be, though?" Rose asked, completely confused.

"Right now you essentially share the same magical core. You both no longer have separate magic. You share it between yourselves."

Rose squinted. "But my magic doesn't feel stronger. I haven't been able to do anything more powerful than before."

"Well, that depends on the type of spells and charms you're casting Rose. If you've just been doing ordinary things like accioing something or unlocking a door, simple things that you learned in your first year, then you wouldn't have noticed any difference. But once you start practicing spells and charms for class, you'll notice that they are too easy for you and that you are able to cast them faster and stronger them you normally would."

"So practically you're saying we're both more powerful than any sixth year should be," Malfoy's tone was cynical and Rose could feel he didn't believe the med-witch.

"Yes Scorpius, that is what I'm saying."

Rose scrubbed a hand over a face with a sigh. Could things get any more complicated?

"But isn't this dangerous? Both Weasley and I were already at the top of our classes; if our magic is now combined isn't there a large chance that it could get out of control?"

Miss Lynde nodded her agreement at Malfoy's words, saying, "There is. That's why for the next week you two are not allowed to do any challenging magic."

Rose opened her mouth to voice her concern about how that would interfere with her classes, but Miss Lynde just held up a hand, "I've already talked to all your professors; they know about your unstable magical levels and will be keeping an eye on you both in class. You are not to do any magic past a second year's level. I know that it'll be inconvenient but until the bond has settled down more you can't push yourselves."

"But... But we have a test in Transfiguration on Wednesday and we were going to be starting on some new spells in DADA."

"For the next week, you are both excused from participating for the practical part of the lessons." Rose looked over at the Headmistress. "You will still need to take the written part of any tests but the hands-on section is out limits until Med-witch Lynde is sure that there won't be any problems."

Rose opened her mouth once again to argue her point, but was cut off by Malfoy. "Just give it up Weasley, they know what they're talking about and if they say that it would be dangerous to do magic then we won't do magic," Malfoy fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes; not noticing the look his mother gave him from being less than presentable.

Looking around at all the determined faces around her Rose concluded that, for the next week at least, she and Malfoy would be doing very little magic.

"Alright, but when can we do magic again?"

"I'll be coming back to see you both on Saturday. I'll do a check-up, look at your magical levels, talk to you both for a little, then we'll see."

Rose just nodded, feeling more drained than before and wanting nothing more than to just sleep and forget about all this.

"All right, now that that's taken care of I still have a few things I need to ask you."

Rose answered the rest of the Healer's questions without complaint, knowing that they served some sort of purpose. Malfoy got asked similar questions and by the time they were done, dinner was starting in a little less than an hour.

"Is there anything else we need to know? If not, I would really like to go back to the dorm now," Rose asked after Miss Lynde seemed to have gotten all the information she needed.

"No, no that's all for now." The Healer finished scribbling something down and looked up at the two teens, smiling. "Have a good week and I'll see you both on Saturday, and remember, no magic."

Rose nodded her understanding while Malfoy let out a quick "Yes, Healer," before both stood and grabbed their book bags.

"Thank you, Healer Lynde," Draco said tilting his head in thanks to the Healer who nodded back with respect. "Scorpius wait a moment, we need to talk" He added with a look at Malfoy.

Rose glanced at her parents when they said some quick words to the Healer then turned to her saying. "We need a word as well Rose."

Rose looked around the room, suddenly hating all the pristine white and speckless surfaces. "Can we walk and talk? I'm a little sick of being in this place."

They moved outside and slowly walked down the hall, Rose and Malfoy falling into step next to their parents. Rose kept glancing at her parents, more than a little perplexed when they didn't start talking immediately. She studied their worried faces as they walked; neither Rose's or Malfoy's parents seemed to know where to start. A good fifteen to twenty minutes later, they made it back to the Entrance Hall and Hermione stopped and turned to her daughter. Rose was ready for whatever bad news was coming.

"Rose, are you doing alright?" The sudden and vague question made Rose uneasy.

"What do you mean?"

"I think your mother is just trying to make sure you're alright before we leave," Ron said running his hand up and down Hermione's arm in a relaxing way.

Rose felt her throat constrict slightly and was amazed when her voice came out sounding normal, "You're leaving?"

"I'm afraid so Flower, I'm needed back in the office and the Minister is lost without your mum-" Dad started to explain but was cut off by mum. "But if you need us here I'll have someone fill in for me and your father can tell Harry to cover for him and we'll stay for as long as you need."

"No, don't be silly. If you need to go then it's fine; you can't both stay here just because things are a little unsteady," Rose quickly relented at the looks her parents gave her. "Alright, a little more than unsteady but still, if you need to go then go. The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble at work for me. I'll be fine, I've got Hugo, Al, James and the whole lot and if I need something I can always owl or even floo you."

Hermione did not look happy at all about leaving Rose on her own with all that had happened, but if they had to go back to work then they needed to go; Rose wasn't about to get them fired for being gone too long.

"Are you leaving too?" Malfoy asked looking at his parents, who nodded. "Yes, I'm needed back at the Hospital and your mother has business at home that needs attention."

Malfoy did not look any happier than the parents at this news.

"When are you leaving?" Rose directed her question to her parents but knew that Malfoy looked at his parents for an answer too.

"Now actually, just after we're done talking we'll be apparating out."

Rose gave a sigh. She didn't want her parents to go, it was nice having them around the school, knowing that they may be just around the corner or down the next hall. She felt safer somehow with them around. That was how it was with parents, having them around made you feel safer, knowing that they could be there for you in a moment notice if you need them.

Rose liked feeling like that. Safe. It was a good feeling, one that she'd often took for granted before the Bond. Funny how something like this could make a person see things in a different light. Small things like feeling safe or normal could become something you yearn for but know that to get them you have to go through hell and back.

"Have you said goodbye to Hugo? he'll want to know you're leaving."

Ron nodded, "He would be here to say goodbye, but he has classes all day and won't have a chance to come down."

Rose ducked her head and stared at the floor, scuffing her shoe into the stone. She looked up however when she felt a slight discomfort growing in her chest. Malfoy and his family had moved away from them, a silvery white bubble alerting Rose that they had set a silencing charm around them to keep their conversation private.

"Rose?" Hermione asked when Rose didn't respond. "Are you alright with this, us leaving?"

Rose gave another sigh. What did she say to that? If she told them the truth and said no, then her parents might try and stay and Rose couldn't let that happen. They had lives to live and they had responsibilities that Rose didn't; they needed to get back to their jobs. But if she told them she was fine they would be able to tell that she was lying; she was a terrible liar, her face and eyes were transparent. She had never been able to hide a damn thing before and now wasn't any different.

Plastering on her best smile Rose replied with a cheery voice. "I'll be fine. Like I said before, I've got the whole lot with me. What could go wrong?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow and Rose knew her face was just as transparent as ever. "We can try and stay. I can ask-"

"No, mum, don't, " Rose dropped the smile and sighed, "You both need to go and it's fine. I'll be alright on my own, I've got lots of studying to do, I need to keep an eye on Al, James, Fred, Hugo, and the rest of them, I'm still working with Hagrid and I have Prefect duties once a week. I have so much to do that I won't even notice the Bond, things with go back to normal, well as normal as they ever were, and I'll be fine."

I need to quit saying I'm fine, Rose thought vaguely, I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

Ron sighed as his daughter rattled off just a few of the many things she was doing. She really needed to cut back and relax a bit.

"You're sure?" Hermione asked, biting her lip in a way that Rose had come to know meant she was nervous.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll be alright. Don't worry about me."

"I'm your mother, it's my job to worry about my children and no matter how old and grown up you get I'll always worry." Hermione suddenly got teary eyed and Rose winced a little. "My little girl, sixteen years old. When did you go and grow up on us, it seems just yesterday you were running around in your pink bunny footed pyjamas with your teddy bear and pacifier and now look at you. You've grown into such a strong beautiful young woman and I'm so proud of you."

"Mum" Rose said sheepishly as her cheek flushed. "Don't get all emotional on me."

Hermione wiped at her eyes and gave a little chuckle. "Sorry." She took a deep breath and looked at Rose. "I just can't believe how grown up you're getting. Sixteen. Where did that little girl with bushy red hair and toothy smile go?"

"No more bushy hair or toothy smiles mum. I've got a little more fashion sense too."

"Time flies, you're all getting so big. Even Scorpius," Rose glanced over at Malfoy briefly as her mum said this before firmly turning her attention back to her parents.

"Malfoy's grown? I hadn't noticed." She said drily.

Back in the fourth year, Malfoy had hit his growth spurt and was no longer the small somewhat chubby cheeked boy anymore. By the end of that year, he was a good inch taller than Rose and had been overtaking Rose since then. A thing Rose was still sore about.

"He isn't a bad man Rose," Hermione said with a slight reprimanding edge to her voice. "He's still immature but they all are at their age. Us girls get the brains and sense early on Rose. Boys? Well, they seem to like to make stupid mistakes for a long time until they finally grow a brain between their ears." Ron gave a little indignant grunt that Hermione ignored. "What I'm trying to say is to give him a chance. You can't change your situation, the only thing you can change is how you chose to deal with it. Scorpius isn't the worst person in the world Rose; I know you don't get along but he and Albus are as close as brothers. Harry and Ginny trust and like him, so it could be worse. You could have been Bonded with someone you didn't even know. At least you know who Scorpius is, and the rest you can work out."

Rose let out a breath.

"Will you at least try and work it out with him?" Rose saw the way Ron cut his eyes to Hermione before looking back at Rose; he didn't like the thought of Rose working it out with Malfoy. Maybe because of how he felt toward the Malfoys, maybe because of how Rose and Malfoy had fought through all the years, or maybe just because he was a bloke. Either way, he didn't like it.

"I can't promise anything," Rose answered tightly.

"And I'm not asking you to, just that you'll try." Rose nodded and Hermione answered with a soft "Good."

"Well enough boy talk," Ron scrunched up his face in disgust as he said this, as though it was a poisonous phrase. "I have something that I wanted to give you Rose. Your mum and I were going to surprise you by coming to Hogwarts on your birthday to give this to you in person but then everything happened and well, it slipped my mind, but I still want to give it to you in person."

Rose tilted her head at her father, wondering what he wanted to give her. She watched as he dug around in his pockets for a moment, muttering about always misplacing things before finally finding what he was looking for and pulling it out of his coat.

Rose frowned slightly as she took the item. It was a small square box about as big as her hand. It was made of soft ruby red velvet and if Rose wasn't mistaken it was a jewelry box. Rose's frown of puzzlement deepened as she carefully turned the box so that the front faced her. Ron had only ever gotten her jewelry once, and that had been back when she was six. He had given her a small bracelet with a shield charm on it; he wasn't the type to buy someone fancy things like necklaces or bracelets, preferring to give useful gifts that could be used for more than just looking pretty.

Carefully, as not to disturb the item inside, Rose lifted the lid; feeling a startled gasp escape her before covering her mouth with a stunned hand.

Inside, laying on a bed of brilliant red velvet, was a necklace. The chain that it hung on was thin but looked sturdy, and was made of dozens of small rose-gold infinity signs all linked into each other to make a long link. But what made Rose gasp wasn't the chain, but the heart shaped locket attached at the end. It was small but not too small, and engraved on the lid of the locket were two smaller hearts slightly overlapping over one another. All around them were ribbons that twisted and intertwined.

Rose stared in awe at the gift letting out a little sound when she saw that engraved into the small hearts were two symbols, one meaning strength and the other beauty. It was breathtaking and Rose loved it.

Ron nervously rubbed the back of his neck while looking at the box in Rose's hands "I had it custom made a while ago, been keeping it safe so that I could give it to you for your sixteenth birthday. Do you like it?" Rose had to let out a breathy laugh at her father's antics. How could he think Rose wouldn't love it?

"It's- I- Oh I love it. I can't even talk right now, it so beautiful and I just.. I can't believe this, thank you thank you thank you. It's beautiful and I love it." Rose vaguely realized that she was rambling and repeating herself, but she didn't care because of the delighted look on her dad's face.

"You want me to put it on?" Ron asked and Rose paused for a moment before nodding.

She handed her father the necklace, turned around, and pulled her hair off her neck. She remained still trusting her father not to touch her as he put the locket on.

Rose shivered slightly at the combined feeling of someone other then Malfoy being so close to her and the cold locket hitting her bare skin. It only took Ron a moment to clasp the necklace and step back. Rose dropped her hair and lifted a hand to touch the beautiful locket.

"And the best part is that it has protection and shield charms cast on it so it'll do more than look pretty."

Rose laughed again. It was so like her father that how could she not. "Damn this Bond! If I could, I'd give you a hug. But I'm quite sick of the Hospital wing so I'll just have to settle on saying thank you so much."

"I'm glad flower," Ron said grinning. It was a soft sort of smile. One that reminded Rose of ages long past, of playing chess and hide-and-seek with her dad, of baking cookies with him, sitting and colouring with him, of late night talks over hot chocolate and marshmallows, racing him with over the forest on her broom, of happy things that she would always treasure. Funny how a smile can send you into flashbacks of your childhood.

The hall echoed with the chime of the clock. Ron look up as it ticked off the hour and sighed when he realized that it was five.

"You need to go?" Rose guessed and Ron nodded.

Rose shook her head as her mum opened her mouth, "I'll be fine mum," Hermione gave a little nod and Rose saw that the tears were back.

Choking back the obvious waterfall of tears that wanted to fall, Hermione said in a tight voice brimming with emotion. "Be careful alright? Don't do anything crazy or get yourself into trouble. Keep an eye on your brother for us, and try and keep him out of trouble as well. Do your school work, don't get behind."

"But try and relax every once and awhile too alright? You're still human and need to have fun as much as the rest of us," Ron said sternly and Rose nodded.

"I will."

"Oh," Hermione whimpered slightly. It was like when she'd sent Rose on the train to Hogwarts for the first time. She hated seeing her little girl go.

"I'll be alright," Rose said in what she hoped was a reassuring whisper as the Malfoy's broke out of their bubble and walked over to them.

"The gate won't be open forever Weasley, let's go." Ron shot Draco a hard look before glancing away because of Hermione's elbow to his side.

"Goodbye flower. We'll see you at Christmas alright?" Rose could only mutely nod as she watched her parents struggle not to attack her with their held back hugs. This was hard.

"Goodbye, Rosie. And remember if you need to talk, about anything, you can floo me." Hermione said in a pained voice then turned and started to walk toward the doors leading outside, obviously wanting to leave before she did something the Bond wouldn't be happy with.

Malfoy came to stand next to Rose and together, side-by-side, they watched their parents open the large oak doors and walk out into the blizzard past them. The magic cast on the door prevented any snow from passing the threshold, making it look as if there was a pane of glass blocking the storm outside from entering, the snow beat and pushed against the magic but it stayed strong.

Their parents looked over their shoulders one last time at the two of them before stepping down the snow-covered front steps and disappearing from sight as the doors magically closed tightly behind them.

And Rose was left standing frozen to the stop, clutching the locket that already meant so much to her, tightly to her chest.

"Bye" Rose whispered, too late for her parents to hear.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 7**

 **November 26th**

 **Tuesday**

 **~oOo~**

The man stalked down the hall, his red and black Auror robes billowing behind him in a dramatic manner. His normally calm features were hard from his apprehensiveness and nerves and his brilliant green eyes shone with unusual brightness.

The sound of his heavy boots echoed angrily down the hall, causing the nearby receptionist to cringe slightly and make no move to stop his rather loud passing.

 _BANG!_

The door slammed into the wall as the man pushed it open, startling the other person in the room and making him jump and look up from where he had been going over a book with great attentiveness.

"Bloody hell, mate you scared me," Said Ron Weasley grinning as he stood and placed the tome down on the table, "What's wrong?" The smile slipped from his face as fast as it had appeared when he saw the look on his friend's face.

Harry Potter was worried. No not worried, what he was feeling went beyond simply worry. The news he had just been given made his hands shake and his blood pump in a way it hadn't since his school days.

Harry turned and closed Ron's office door before he leant back against the smooth wood and ran his hand over his face and into his hair; the way he had so many times before.

"I've just gotten a report from Albertson," At Ron's perplexed expression Harry clarified "Our inside man in that radical group," Understand dawned on Ron's face before a grim frown was set into place. He nodded for Harry to continue as he rounded his desk and leant against the side crossing his arms.

"I just got an owl from him, I don't even know how he managed to send one in the first place but that's not the point, I read it through and well... it's not good. As you know Albertson's been quiet for months, only sending in short messages saying that things were still calm, I was starting to think that maybe they were just another passive group, standing on the sidelines and watching; but then I got his latest message." Harry paused and drew a breath, raising his head and meeting his partner's eyes with a grim stare, "Ron, they've just had men return from a covert mission to Africa and they brought dark artefacts back with them."

Ron's expression tightened at the mention of more dark artefacts. There had been so many cases involving cursed objects and muggles lately that the Oblivion squad and the other magical catastrophes offices were almost always with the Aurors on their missions.

"Albertson reported that he only saw them for a few minutes and couldn't count them all but he said there were at least thirty or forty crates. He stated that they were making plans to distribute the objects." Harry ran a hand through his hair again and gripped a handful in the back, staring at the redheaded man in front of him "Ron, that many cursed objects being passed around would mean a disaster. Remember last month? That teacup blew up an entire muggle block. And those hats!"

Harry gazed across the room at the fireplace for a while, thinking, but when his partner didn't answer after a few minutes he lifted his gaze and looked at Ron's face. He recognised that look, the one Ron always got when he was troubled. Ron had never been good at hiding his feelings, his face, like his daughter's, was an open canvas; transparent.

"Have you informed the director?"

Harry sighed and yet again ran his hand through his hair, "I did. He's scheduling a meeting as we speak to inform the rest of the team, although he first needs to talk to the minister and that may take some time so don't be surprised if we don't make it home tonight."

Ron scrubbed a tired hand over his face. With everything on his mind, the last thing he wanted was to organise a raid, because there would be a raid; in the end, there was always a raid.

He watched as Harry pushed off the door and started pacing in front of him, another nervous and troubled habit he'd acquired over the years. Sometimes Ron wondered why they'd become Aurors, you'd think that after the war they'd had enough of fighting and yet... here they both were. Harry as the Head Auror and Ron his partner.

Ron would never tell Harry but he was growing weary of always fighting, having to always watch his back in fear that someone he'd put away might somehow break free come after him or his family.

And he would definitely never tell him that he was seriously considering retiring and taking the job George had offered him, to be the manager of his largest shops.

While some might think his reasoning behind staying an Auror was stupid, the truth was the truth. He didn't want to leave Harry. They had been best friends since they first met and had gone through so much together. How could he leave him now? After that night he left them in the woods when they had been on the hunt so many years ago, Ron had sworn to himself that he would never abandon Harry or Hermoine ever again.

Harry was not just his best mate but his brother and though Ron didn't lack any of those Harry was family and he would do anything for family.

"Ron, are you listening to me?"

Pulling his gaze from where it had dropped to study the carpet Ron meet his mate's gaze with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Thinking."

Harry gave yet another deep sigh and stopped his pacing. He crossed the room and came to a stop next to Ron, turning so that he was leaning back against the desk, Harry nudged his friend's shoulder with his own. "What's on your mind, I can tell you're not thinking about the Rebel group, so what is it?"

"It's nothing" Ron lied, but as always Harry saw right through it.

"Come on mate, you know you can talk to me. What's wrong?"

Ron gave a sigh and ran a hand through his steadily greying red hair, a habit he'd caught from Harry after all these years.

"It's nothing," Ron said and when Harry opened his mouth, probably to lecture him on keeping secrets, Ron just shook his head, "Did Albertson say when they were planning on distributing the artefacts?"

Harry gave him a look, obviously not happy that he had changed the subject but he kept his mouth shut about it.

That was one thing Ron had always appreciated about Harry; he never really pushed.

"No, he said they weren't letting him in on all the details, only the higher up leaders know but he promised to try and find out and that he'd let us know as soon as he hears anything." Harry let out a tired breath, shaking his head slowly, "I don't want another raid, Ron. Not now. Not so soon after the last one, not after..."

But his words faded, the sentence left hanging in the air but Ron didn't need him to finish it to know what he was talking about.

Frank.

Harry cleared his throat and pushed off the desk, walking over to the door before looking over his shoulder, "I need to go talk to the Minister" He said, his voice was just slightly rougher than normal and his eyes sad and tired, but he tried for a smile anyway.

Did he succeed? No. But he tried.

"See you tomorrow, mate" And with one last brave attempt at a smile, he left in a flurry of red and black robes; leaving Ron alone in his office, much more sullen than he had been ten minutes ago.

 **~oOo~**

The water was hot. Or maybe it was cold? Or maybe it was a mix of both, making for the perfect temperature, either way, it did its job, washing away any trace of red from his pale hands.

One thing it did not manage to do was rid his skin of the coppery scent that only came from blood.

It lingered in the air, hanging around him in a cloud. It was everywhere, the air, his hands, his clothes, the ground, the table... the body.

Because of course, the blood had to come from something, from someone and that person lay still, dormant on a steel table mere feet from him, the only thing separating them was a thin wall of glass and metal.

Images swam before his eyes, a pale nameless wrinkled face, the long gashes, dripping with blood, the barely hidden, beating heart of a dying man...the screaming.

So much screaming.

With a bang, he slammed his dripping hand down on the rim of the sink in front of him, causing pain to erupt from the place of impact all the way up his arm, but he didn't care, his eyes, his mind, was firmly fixed on the man currently being prepped to be taken away.

The nurses worked quickly, moving about the dead man with sure quick steps, going about their job with unseeing eyes and such normalcy Draco thought he might throw up from the sight. Because he was the reason they were there at all, doing their jobs with such callousness.

For Draco Malfoy had just failed to save a life, a life of a man that he knew nothing about but that the death of had struck him hard.

They did not know what had killed him in the end, whether it was the bite marks, the poison, the cold, or maybe the shock of it all had just been too much and he had had a heart attack.

But it still stood that Draco had not managed to save him, that even with all his magic, with all his learnings that he had failed to save yet another life.

Draco Malfoy was one of the best Healers St. Mungos had ever seen. His dedication to his work, his compassion for his patients and his inability to ever give up was something that not many at the hospital had.

Because Draco Malfoy was not the boy of the war, not the monster that the dark lord and his parents had forced him to be and he would work until his dying breath to make sure he proved that he was more than his past, that he would make up for all the wrongs he had done.

And that was something Moriah Silver, his head nurse saw, a good man that had had an unfortunate past, one that haunted him still, and one that he would pay for until he his name was on a gravestone and even then people would look at it with scorn.

"Healer Malfoy?"

Draco didn't answer her questioning voice and she didn't need him too, she had worked with him enough to know that deaths hit him hard.

"Would you like me to alert the family?"

There was a moment of silence and Moriah turned her head to watch as the cleanup staff pushed the now covered body from the room, and she sighed to herself when she saw Draco clench his fist in anger and guilt.

She wouldn't say useless things like 'you did everything you could' and 'it wasn't your fault' because they would just go unheard by the Healer, instead, she moved to his side and put a hand gently on his wrist, squeezing for just the briefest second before removing.

It was enough though.

Taking a deep slightly shaky breath Draco straightened and removed his hands from the water, drying them with a simple thought.

"No Silver, I'm the Head Healer on his case, it's my job to tell them."

"I'll come with you then."

He scowled at this and opened his mouth to reply but she just cut him off.

"Malfoy you know I'll not take no for an answer."

There was a beat of silence before Draco breathed hard through his nose and nodded.

"Fine."

So together they made their way through the long halls of St. Mungos, not speaking but taking comfort in each others company. They had been friends for only five years now, something Draco was thankful for on a daily basis. Draco would never admit it but Moriah was one of his only real friends.

She was anything but dull and her no-nonsense sassy attitude was so very refreshing after so many hours of blood and gore that Draco did not know what he would have done without her.

Draco was pulled from his thoughts when they pushed past a pair of large steel doors, straight into the corridor of patient rooms.

"Over there," Silver said softly to him, gesturing to a door near the end of the corridor. He nodded and together they walked to the door, pushed it open and stepped inside.

Draco took in the sight of a man, young and muscular with a strong jaw framed by dark brown hair, and long legs pacing up and down in front of what Draco assumed were his family, his handsome face tight with worry. Sitting behind his pacing form were four other people. A woman looking about the same age as the young man, if not a bit older, with the same dark hair and eyes. His sister. Another man, younger than both of them with the same features of his brother and some of his sisters sat there as well, holding the hand of the fourth and last person in the small group.

The elderly woman with the grey-white hair was obviously their mother. She sat with her head bowed and the hand that wasn't clasped in her son's hand moved absentmindedly over the fabric of her shirt.

At the sound of the door opening, they looked up, their eyes locking on to the two people who had the answers they needed.

Draco felt the insane urge to turn around right there and run back behind the safety of the double doors because no matter how many times he did this it never seemed to get easier. And he had always been a coward.

But he held strong like he always had to and with sure-footed steps he moved over to the gathering not backing down or slowing an ounce when the eldest son locked eyes with him, his dark black-brown eyes solemn and unhopeful.

He already knew what Draco was going to say.

The wife of the man Draco had failed looked at her son for a moment then at Draco and her grey eyes were so soft and kind that he didn't know if he would have been able to say anything had it not been for Silver at his side.

"Mrs, Grey?"

The old witch stood slowly to her feet and took a small step forward, her son matching her every move. "Yes, that's me. Are you John's Healers?"

Silver opened her mouth to respond but Draco cut her off.

"We are ma'am, I'm Healer Malfoy and this is my Head nurse. I was the lead Healer on your husband's case."

Draco didn't miss how the children tensed at his name, as though his white-blond hair wasn't enough of a give away hearing his name just confirmed their suspicion.

But the old woman didn't flinch away or get upset that an ex-Death Eater was looking after her husband, she just nodded and asked in her feeble yet calm voice, "How is my John?"

Draco swallowed, the only indication that he was affected by the events of the night.

"Your husband sustained major external injuries, Mrs, Grey and while those were easily mendable and would have healed well over time there was also all his internal bleeding and the amount of time he was out in the snow and cold combined with the emotional and physical turmoil on the whole event proved to be too much on your husband's heart."

Draco took a deep breath and looked the witch in the eyes, hoping she could see how truly sorry he was. "We tried everything we could to save your husband Mrs, Grey but even with our best efforts, he passed away at 11:56 tonight."

The softly uttered 'No' from the daughter broke the silence and the eldest son moved to wrap her up in his arms as she crumpled into tears, but the old witch didn't move.

"I am very sorry for your loss Mrs, Grey." Draco bowed his head, looking to the floor, "Truly."

And with that Draco and Moriah moved to step away but a warmth on Draco's arm stopped him.

He looked up, surprised to see that Mrs Grey had laid a hand on his arm, and he was even more surprised by the small watery smile pulling on her thin lips.

"Thank you, Healer Malfoy. Thank you for all you did for my husband, for trying to save him."

There were no tears in her eyes, just a grim sort of acceptance and Draco knew that she had seen this coming. She may have been old but she was far from stupid, she had known even before Draco told her that John was gone, because there was no way, even with magic for him to have lived.

Draco nodded, his throat tight and his eyes stinging before he turned and walked away from the greaving family. Leaving them broken, with only themselves to pick up the pieces.

 **~oOo~**

 **Thursday, November 28th**

 **Quidditch match**

The cold air bit harshly at her exposed skin, little as it was and Rose felt an immense pity for the teams flying high above her head.

The wind wasn't too bad, more just a strong breeze but that mixed in with the temperature made for a brutal time to be outside.

It was Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor and so far her house was losing miserably with Hufflepuff leading 75 to 30.

It really wasn't their fault though. Rose's and Malfoy's stand-ins weren't bad, they flew well and were not too shabby at Quidditch but it was the fact that they didn't play well with the team.

They practised with the team like all the players did but they had not learned to take cues from their teammates and that was what was killing them.

For example, Al would do this thing, a small hand gesture, that Malfoy and the rest of the chasers knew meant to throw me the ball, I'm open and I can score.

And while the other chaser knew what this meant and would attempt to get the ball to throw to Al, Malfoy's stand-in, a thin blond boy in his third year, who had yet again misinterpreted Al's signals would hang back and wait for an opening before diving in and grasping for the Quaffle, disrupting the whole thing and making it impossible for Mark, the third chaser, to get his hands on it.

This happened so many times Rose was shaking her head in her hands by the time Hufflepuff had scored their fifth goal.

Malfoy was so annoyed after only fifteen minutes that he was yelling and shouting nonstop along with the rest of Gryffindor.

Rose just sat back and sighed, her breath forming a cloud in front of her face. She really didn't want to watch this anymore, it was just too depressing.

Gryffindor had won the Quidditch cup six years in a row and now because of Fate had decided that she and Malfoy were 'destined' to be together they were going to lose to Hufflepuff, of all people.

The match lasted barely an hour, with Gryffindor's Seeker just missing the snitch only to have it fly right into Hufflepuff's hand. The roar of disappointment for the Gryffindor side was immense while the cheer, hoots, and hollers for the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw side were even louder, causing Rose to flinch and cover her ears.

The teams all started descending before they landed on the ground and lined up for the sportsmanship handshake. One by one they all shook their opponent's hands and said their congratulations and good game, then they were off, walking back to their respective locker rooms where they would clean up, hear a great speech from their team captain, before bundling up and heading back to the castle to meet the rest of their house. For Hufflepuff that meant an after game party, for Gryffindor, it meant a very subdued week.

With a sigh, Rose got up.

 **~oOo~**

"That was miserable."

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

From his place in front of the fire, Al turned his incredulous gaze on Rose, looking at her as though she had three heads.

"Seriously Rose?"

"Fine it was bloody awful, the worst game Gryffindor has ever played, a gross display of disorganized, uncooperative, ill flying, stiff-necked, awkward, stubborn, spoilt little shi-"

"Okay okay I get it already, Merlin I think I liked you better unconscious."

Rose just laughed, glad that Al wasn't looking quite so morose anymore.

"Alright well I think I'll be heading up now. G'night," Rose said and stood, stretching her arms high above her head and yawning.

The match had ended hours ago and the sullen group of Gryffindors had all made the slow trek back to the Tower where there had been a feeble attempt to comfort the losing players who many said had given it a good shot and should be proud of their efforts while really begrudging them for the loss of the cup.

It was late, the night sky was dark and cloudy and the few Gryffindors still left in the common room were those few unfortunate seventh years who had buckets of homework. Rose and Al were pretty much the only ones left. Malfoy had gone up hours ago, their bond just allowing the separation even though it felt quite uncomfortable, not that Rose minded, these quiet moments with Al were a blessing after so many forced ones with Malfoy.

"Night," Al said before taking a swig of something that looked suspiciously like fire whiskey but Rose wasn't going to say anything, not this time anyhow.

"Oh and Rose," Al called just as Rose was about to step onto the staircase. Glancing back Rose could see that Al was not looking at her, but at the fire, as he spoke. "Get some sleep, yeah? You've been looking bloody awful."

 **~oOo~**

Scorpius yawned as he stepped out of the bathroom, running a towel through his wet hair before tossing it over the back of a chair and walking over to the dresser to grab a shirt. He was just pulling the soft blue fabric over his head when the rustle of the sheets alerted him that Weasley was getting up.

He turned as she stepped out of the bed and watched as she stretched and yawned, her eyes lidded and just slightly blood-shot, the dark circles under her eyes very visible without all the charms and makeup. Scorpius felt his frustration rise as he looked at her, noting for the hundredth time this week that she looked close to collapsing.

Scorpius might not have been the most observant student at Hogwarts but he wasn't stupid. He'd noticed the lack of eating, the way she drank only black coffee in the morning while nibbling on some bread in an attempt to look like she was consuming something, the way her eyes were never fully open anymore.

Scorpius could tell that something was wrong, he could feel it but he was trying to keep his distance, not only because he wanted to respect her privacy but also because the last time he had asked her about her lack of eating she had withdrawn and become distant; even more distant than normal.

But it wasn't just her that he had to look out for, it was himself as well. Because no matter how you sliced it now, they were connected and whatever Weasley was doing was starting to affect him too.

So when he saw her trip slightly over her own feet and latch onto the bedpost in an attempt to discreetly stay upright, he knew that he couldn't keep his distance anymore.

"Weasley, you alright?" He tried not to sound too concerned but even he could hear the slight note of urgency in his voice. He had felt yesterday at the match that she was tired, ever finished, but it was so much stronger today. He could feel the exhaustion, the hunger she probably couldn't or wouldn't feel anymore and it scared him. And not a lot scared Scorpius nowadays.

He had half a mind to tell Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm fine," Came the terse reply and Weasley pushed off the post and walked, just slightly slower than normal, toward the bathroom. Scorpius hated when she did that, just closed herself off and put up her walls. It was her way of ending their conversations if it was getting uncomfortable for her.

But this wasn't their usual conversation and this wasn't a usual situation. They had to start talking at some point, why not now?

"Weasley," Scorpius said softly, gently grabbing her wrist as she passed him, "What's wrong?"

Her shoulders were tense and her arm was ramrod straight under his gentle grip. He knew she wanted him to back off, he could feel it but he wasn't giving up that easily.

"Please."

She looked up at him then and he felt her walls fall, all the tension left her shoulders and she deflated visibly, like all the fight had left her.

And maybe for the first time, her gaze was not full of the hostility or anger, or even hatred. Her brilliantly blue eyes held nothing but exhaustion, confusion, and uncertainty. Her top teeth started worrying her bottom lip in a habit Scorpius had come to know meant she was thinking, and her hand twitching ever so slightly like she wanted to twist it and take his hand in hers. And for a moment, for a brief moment, he thought she might tell him, might finally open up just a little bit, but then she was turning her eyes away and pulling her wrist from his grip.

"I told you," She said gruffly like it somehow pained her to say, "I'm fine." She then walked into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 8**

 **November 27th-28th**

 **Wednesday-Thursday**

 **~oOo~**

"Read through pages 234 and 241 for homework tonight and remember to have your essays written before the next class. I mean it class, there is no reason why you can't have this done by Monday, I will not take excesses, no matter how valid you think they are." He shot Malfoy and Al a look, but the two merely blinked their innocent eyes causing the teacher to shake his head, "There's the bell, have a good rest of your week everyone," Professor Neville dismissed them with a wave of his hand and a smile.

"Bugger Herbology," Al said through chattering teeth, pulling his thickest cloak more tightly around himself, as they trudged slowly through the knee-high snow back towards the looming castle. "You know what? I want to know who in Merlin's name thought it was a good idea to build the greenhouses so far away from the bloody castle. I mean it freezing out here and yet we're supposed to trudge through a bloody avalanche of snow each time we need to go look at plants for an hour. I mean I like Professor Longbottom and all but seriously,"

While Malfoy snorted and said something sly in return Rose didn't even have the energy to argue with her cousin about the values of the subject, all she could focus on was taking one more step forward and not falling on her face.

 _Just one more step. And another. And another. And one more._

The almost manageable tiredness and absence of hunger of a few days ago had combined together into a bone-deep weakness that controlled every aspect of Rose's life. Her muscles ached, her limbs felt heavy and lead-like and her ability to keep her eyes more than half open was quickly fading; not the mention the pain that would erupt from her chest every now and then, especially if she snapped at Malfoy.

In simpler words, she was crashing; and she knew it.

So she had done the one thing she could think of; she went to the library.

Rose was nothing if not a researcher; if she didn't understand something she looked for a book. If something wasn't adding up, a book. And if she just wanted something to do, she read. She was her mother's daughter in that aspect.

So the minute Rose was able she had gone to the archives. But even with all the in-depth books about the art of Bonding one's soul to another Rose had found only six of them that were wholly about The Soul Bonding and only two were written by Healers who had actually worked with the patients affected by the course. And even those books didn't give much insight into Rose's problem, only stating what she already knew; that she needed to give into to Bond. To do as it wanted.

But none of them said what would happen if Rose didn't. So she was at a loss.

She comprehended she had to do something. The books had been her last hope. Everone was telling her the same thing, to do what she needed to do for both herself and Malfoy's welfare, but she so desperately didn't want that to be her only option. Her life was supposed to be her own, she was supposed to have control of what SHE wanted to do, what she thought was right. She was supposed to control what she did and thought.

To have that control ripped so violently and suddenly away was leaving Rose at a loss. She had always been a controlling person, no matter how hard she tried not to be. She had always wanted to know what was going to happen, where how and when. She wasn't crazy about it, she didn't need to know every detail of every aspect of her life, but if something could be researched or logiced out and planned Rose would most likely plan and research it to it's fullest without going overboard. It was who she was by nature. She didn't like to lose charge of something she knew could have been controlled.

And this? This Bond? It had taken away a large aspect of who Rose wanted to be as a person. Suddenly she wasn't just Rose Weasley, already famous daughter of two war heroes, no, now she would be remembered for the rest of her life as half of this centuries Soul Bonded couple. She would go done in the books like all the rest of Soul Bonded had. And she wasn't sure if that was what she wanted to be remembered as.

She was freaking out on the inside, stressing about what to do.

The library had been her last hope, and now it too had let her down.

Soon she would have to do what the books and Healer told her to do and talk to Malfoy. Rose knew that they needed to try and put their differences aside for both their sakes. She knew that and it caused all her mental processes to panicked.

For so many years they had hated each other. Rose Weasley was not supposed the befriend Scorpius Malfoy. They were meant to hate each other. It was one of the constants in her life. When things at home got tense, when Rose could hear her parents fighting downstairs like they so often did, when she would sit on her bed and read Hugo a story as loud as she could to try and drown out her parents shouts, when she would find her mother crying on the couch or her father passed out drunk in the kitchen, she would always know that the next day no matter how mad or hungover they were that when she went over to Al's house and Malfoy was undoubtedly there that she and the Malfoy Heir would despise each other; that was something that Rose had thought would never change. When Al and her fought, when things were tense in her family, when everything was justs overwhelming, Malfoy's and her chemistry, the way they were around each other never changed.

She took comfort in Al when things went wrong. She leaned on Grandparents when she was stressed. She talked to Lily when she needed a fellow girls opinion. But things were constantly changing with her family and friends and while they were the most precious things in her life, Malfoy was one of the most predictable. She never had to think around him, never had to try and figure out where they stood. She just knew.

But now? Now Rose knew that she had no chance of keeping that constant. That soon she would need to become closer to Malfoy than she had ever been with anyone else. The Bond didn't want them just to be friends, it wanted them to be lovers.

And that scared the crap out of her.

Rose had never shied away from anything in her life, but the thought of trading what was so comfortable and easy to her and Malfoy for something that would be so remarkably new and different and just so strange after all they had been through turned Rose's stomach.

Becuase no matter how you put it there was history between them, granted it wasn't pleasant but the foundation of who they were together had already been set. As it had been for the past six years. To go and break that all up and start over? She just didn't understand how they could do that without leaving pieces of what they used to be behind to mix in with the new and cause cracks.

But something had to be done and soon; because it was getting worse, so much worse.

Any energy that should have been put towards school work and her responsibilities were now being used to stop her family and friends from finding out she was cracking.

Rose shook her head slightly, realizing that she had been walking with her eyes closed. Forcing open her heavy lids she saw that Malfoy and Al were still by her side, not seeming to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Feeling her eyes start to close again she blinking hard a few times to try and stop them.

The cold bit her skin but Rose was too concerned with keeping her eyes open that didn't even realize she couldn't feel it, everything was numb, from her head to her frozen toes. It was only when her vision swam and she swayed slightly, did she realize that something wasn't right. At least less right then it had been.

A pain started, just at the base of her spine, the same pain that had been occurring over the past few days; Rose tried to ignore it, forced herself to keep walking and think about something else and all the while strengthing the mental bond between herself and Malfoy just in case he got an inkling the something was amiss; but even with this she didn't miss the falter in his sentence and the quick glance he sent in her direction.

 _One more step, just one more step then you can sit down in the warm classroom, just one more step._ Rose thought sluggishly to herself. But her mind was too fuzzy and it was suddenly a whole lot harder to focus. She couldn't hold back a sharp gasp as her heartbeat swiftly speed up and an abrupt pain that shot through her spine, licking at all her nerves and coming to pulse hardest in her chest.

Rose stopped dead in her tracks.

Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what was happening. _No! No no no no._ Rose cried in her head placing a hand over her ribs where the pain throbbed the worse. _I can't. Not now, not here. Please._ She pleaded with her body, _don't do this to me, not now._

"Weasley?"

"Rose what's wrong?"

Please please, please!

But Mother Fate didn't seem to be to impressed by Rose lately for her pleading fell on deaf ears.

Her breath hitched painfully as something that felt like white-hot fire spread from the place where her heart beat erratically and serging through her veins until every inch of her body screamed. Fear coursed through her as her vision faded. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, everything was turning black, she couldn't focus on anything other than the immediate pain and her difficulty to breathe the cold air around her.

"Rose what's going on? Are you alright? Should I get Madam Pomfrey?"

 _Why was her face wet? Was she cry? When had she started to cry?_

She was vaguely aware of people around her, far too many people because even in her muddled panicked state she knew that she had only been walking with Albus and Malfoy, not forty other kids.

"Weasley! Weasley, talk to me! What's going on?"

Suddenly she felt two cold smooth hands cup her face. The shock, pain and relief that surged through her system at being touch by Malfoy after so long of little to no contact seemed to be the last straw for her nervous system and before Rose could do more than let out a muffled scream she was falling.

The last thing Rose heard before strong arms enveloped her, stopping her from crashing to the snowy ground was Malfoy yelling at someone, maybe Al, to meet him at the infirmary.

Then a warm breath at her ear whispering, "Hold on Rose," before the feeling of travelling via the medical port key took the last of her strength and she fell into darkness.

She didn't even realize for the first time in six years Malfoy had used her given name.

 **~oOo~**

 **Al's POV**

His chest heaved as he bolted down the corridor, his feet pounding the stone, cloak and book bag flailing around behind him.

He ran with all he had, the fear urging him on, egging him on, telling him to go fast, be quicker. But along with the fear was guilt. Guilt for not doing something. For not saying something. Guilt rearing it's ugly head to sneer and hissing that this was all his fault, that he could have done something. That he _should_ have done something.

And the worst part was that it was right.

He had seen it. Of course, he had. Everyone had. He had seen Rose slowly stop eating. How she started looking like she never got any sleep anymore. At first, he had just thought it was the stress of it all. It wasn't every day you found out something like that, it was life-changing and Al had thought that Rose had deserved a few days of just being left alone without being questioned.

Rose was a different person when stressed or upset. She liked order and for things to go as they should. Uncertainty made her anxious. So Al had thought, as had all the others, even her parents, that it would be best, knowing Rose, to wait until she had excepted what had happened before asking questions or trying to talk about it.

Becuase Rose was like a cornered cat when she was scared and was likely to spring at you should you ask questions she had yet to figure out herself.

They had all thought that they should just give it a little while. Let Rose figure out her feelings a bit before starting in with questions. Hermoine had been in a state when at the castle. Wanting to help but knowing that it would only make things worse. She had had to abandon every mothering instinct, she had had to step back and let Rose do her thing and just make sure that her daughter knew she was there when she was ready to talk.

But a few days passed, then a week and she still seemed to be in a hole. Al had tried to do what he could for her without asking right out if she needed help. He had owled her parents telling them that she was struggling and in return, they had tried to talk to Rose during their weekly Floo call.

But they knew that if pressured Rose would snap.

Sometimes dealing with Rose was like unarming a ticking boom. One wrong move and it all went up in smoke.

Rounding the last corner and sliding slightly on the smooth stone ground Albus burst through the Hospital wing doors with enough force to break the large glass doors.

What he saw upon entering the room made him feel weak.

 **~oOo~**

 **Rose's POV**

 _She was in a dark room, or maybe it was wasn't a room at all, maybe it was just abyss._

 _Everything was pitch black, her eyes were useless. She couldn't feel her hands, feet, her body._

 _She was floating. Unable to anything more than think._

 _Why was she there? Why couldn't she remember? Why was everything so black?_

 _She knew nothing of who she was or what she was doing. She couldn't even remember her name, or what a name was._

 _Everything was just...dark._

 _And all she knew for sure was that she was not alone._

 **~oOo~**

 **Scorpius's POV**

"There has to be something you can do! You can't just leave her like this!"

"Scorpius I know you're upset but-"

"Upset? Upset! Look at her, of course, I'm bloody upset! She's in trouble and all you're saying to do it wait! You need to help her, not sit around drinking tea and chatting about the good old times while she lies here in pain!"

"There isn't anything I can do at the moment but once she wakes up-"

"NO! You need to help her now! She's having seizures! She's in pain! You can't just not do anything for her!"

"Scorpius there's nothing I can do-"

"Then why the bloody hell are you here! Why aren't we going to St. Mungos?! Why isn't anyone doing anything?!"

"Mr Malfoy you need to calm down. You're not helping anything by getting this worked up." The Head Mistress moved forward, towards the irate teen who was breathing heavy from yelling at the Healer.

"And none of you are helping Rose!" Scorpius yelled, flashing a dark look at the teacher. Minerva forced herself not to take a step back at the glare he sent her; in that moment Scorpius Malfoy looked every inch the man his father had been so many years ago. And that look, the almost haunted desperation and anger in those stormy grey eyes scared the Head Mistress more than the young Malfoy's threats ever could. Scorpius shook his head before turning his attention back to Healer Lynde, who stood calmly enough at the foot of the bed. When he spoke again he was no longer yelling but the ire of his voice was more than enough to demand a room. "You're our Healer. You're supposed to know what to do if anything goes wrong. Well, something bloody wrong and you're supposed to be helping! Instead your just standing there watching this happen!"

"Mr Malfoy," The Healer said sharply, her calm tone fading into that of the authority she is, "I warned Miss Weasley that there would be consequents if she did not obey the Bond's needs. She had brought this on her self." She raised a hand when Scorpius's eyes flashed fiercely and he opened his mouth to speak, "That being said I am your Healer and trust me when I say that if there was anything I could do I would do it but, at the moment all we can do is wait. The Bond is dealing with Rose's disobedience. This is a not a tickling charm that has been set upon you two, it is a curse. A dark curse that is not to be messed with. I have told you both this many times. I can only do so much, I can not force you or Rose to listen to reason. She did not obey the demands and now she is paying for that. I can't do anything right now as it's not my place. The Bond is in control and to go try and mess with it would only make matters worse,"

Scorpius turned his back on the Healer, his breaths coming in more laboured intakes, as though he was fighting back the urge to break down. His eyes fell on the body on the bed in front of him and he let out a same croaked sob.

"It won't kill her Scorpius, that's not what this curse does. We just need to let this play out. Waiting is all we can do for the moment,"

This didn't comfort Scorpius at all, the knowledge that Rose would most likely not die from whatever was happening was something but the fact still stood that she was in pain. So much bloody pain. And he could do nothing to help her. He stepped forward and sat in the chair next to the bed.

Feeling so very useless and not knowing what else to do he stepped forward "Fine," He said gruffly his words catching in his throat, "But I'm not leaving her side," He looked over at both Healers, his glare sharp, "And I want someone to check her vitals every half hour until she wakes up," Madam Pomfrey look offended at this and open her mouth to say as much but was cut off by Healer Lynde.

"Agreed. We will do everything in our power to make sure she's comfortable and safe,"

Scorpius glared for a moment longer before turning away and letting out a long sigh, "Alright. Now we wait" Gingery he moved forward and slowly sat in the chair next to the bed focusing his eyes on the person in front of him.

Rose lay motionless on the pristine white linin of a Hospital wing bed. Her heavy cloak and winter clothes had been removed when they arrived and she lay in only a pair of black dress code jeans and her white button down. She looked so small, lying there, pale with dark half circles under her closed eyes. Her breath came in short puffs and the sound of her laboured breathing did nothing to calm Malfoy's nerves.

It was funny, the way you got used to something when it was constantly around. A few weeks ago the feeling of Rose's mind into the back corner of his own was a foreign feeling. Now? He felt so lost without its content presents. It was the reason he was frecking out so badly. He couldn't feel her anymore. The only thing that was left of her in his mind was the faintest beat beat beat of her heart. He had no window into her mind, but the pulsing was there, reassuring him that she was alive and breathing.

Gently, slowly, he reached out and took the small pale hand laying closest to him. That pulse, beating away faintly but steadily in his mind was one thing he clung to as tightly as she did her hand. Holding onto her in the only way he could; because he couldn't lose her.

It wasn't the Bond that tied his heart to hers.

He leaned forward, and resting his elbows on his knees, he brought the hand to his mouth, dipping his head and placing the softest of kisses across her knuckles and uttered three words "I'm so sorry" so low no one but him could hear it, before closing his eyes and letting the tears slowly fall.

 **~oOo~**

 **Healer Lynde's POV**

Despite her words, Freya wasn't sure whether or not this would be the fatal mistake that killed Rose Weasley. She couldn't do anything for the girl because of no Soul Bonded couple, at least in recording, had ever disobeyed the Bond. No one that she knew of had ever had such a hard time adjusting to this. She couldn't do anything. She was powerless.

She knew from the start that this was going to be hard for the two Gryffindors. Usually, a new Soul Bonded couple barely knew each other until they were thrown together by the curse. And even if things got off to a rough start it would always get better because they were Soulmates. No matter whether you believed in such a thing or not, if you were a Bonded couple you were meant to be, you fit like to pieces of a puzzle even if it meant adjusting to what sides were supposed to match.

She had no idea of how to help them. She knew only what she had read and researched and what her mother's journal said. Her mother's soul bonded couple had been a bit awkward around each other at first but they had warmed up one another after just getting to know the other.

The curse meant that you could never be with someone else, you were bounded to the other until death does you part. And after a while, most couples were fine with this, because they learned that the other person was their other half, literally and that they didn't want to live without each other.

But these two. She didn' know quite what to make of them.

One was warm the other cold. Scorpius tired, Rose pushed him away. She was red, he was blue. Opposites that didn't know that they could be beautiful together. Like she had said to Scorpius. She could only do so much; there was only so much talking and telling she could give. It was up to them what they did with what she said.

She only hoped, for both their sakes, that they figured out how to move out of the past and into the future. Before it got them both killed.

 **~oOo~**

 **Al's POV**

The sky outside was dark. Barely even the moon shone through the dense clouds. Everything was just so unknown and I made Al feel useless. All he could do was sit there. He wanted to be up, to be helping in some way but how could he help when even the Healers were unable to do anything.

He wasn't the only one sitting in that Hospital wing that night, nor was he the only one feeling useless. He glanced down at the girl currently curled up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder as she slept.

Lily.

Even though Al hadn't told anyone about what had happened, there had been students around and word spread like wildfire around this school, especially when it involved one of the Weasley/Potter clan or Malfoy. So when his family and Rose's friends started popping up he wasn't surprised.

Madam Pomfrey had thrown quite the fuss when she saw them all there. She had demanded that they all go back to their classes as there was nothing they could do for Rose there. But no one was leaving this time and in the end Madam Pomfrey had had to let them stay, even if it was just to stop the arguing.

Al sighed as he brushed the hair from his sister's face, tucking it behind her ear as well as moving the arm she was laying against slightly in an effort to regain the feeling he had lost hours ago. Lily had been the first to fall asleep, not that she wanted to sleep but with all, she had to go on those days she rarely got the opportunity to close her eyes for longer than half an hour anymore. Knowing that her staying awake would help no one and likely make her a zombie the next day Al had convinced her, but only after a lot of talking, to try and get some sleep, promising that he would wake her if they heard anything. Begrudgingly Lily had done what he asked and within minutes her breathing had evened out and her face softened as she drifted into a deep sleep.

Elizabeth had been the next person to entire into dreamland, but only after she had been forced to drink a calming and dreamless sleep potion. When Rose had gone into a fit of spasms again, the first seizer the entire group had seen, her muscles twitching and convulsing madly for a few seconds before calming down again, Lizzy had lost it. She had burst into tears and started hyperventilating so badly to the point where Madam Pomfrey thought it best she slept through the next few hours. She now lay peacefully in one of the Hospital beds, just over from Rose's.

The rest of the group were all still awake and either stood silently, sat or paced in the back of the long hall. James and Fred both leaned against the wall right next to Rose's corner bed, watching and waiting. Hugo sat at the foot of his sister's bed, eyes closed and head leaned back but Al knew he was far from sleep. Rose's three remaining conscious dorm mates sat between the two sleeping girls, leaning on one another and talking in hushed voices.

And then there was Hermoine.

Both Scorpius's and Rose's parents had been flooed and told about the situation. Ron had been in a meeting and wasn't allowed to answer the floo call so the Healer had left instructions that he was to call back as soon as possible. Draco as well hadn't been able to come as he was in the middle of a nine-hour surgery but his assistant had said that he demanded to know if anything changed. And Astrid was just nowhere to be found. After trying to floo her at her home, office, Healer Lynde had left a message with a house elf to say that she was to call back.

Hermoine was the only one able to answer the call and the minute she heard her daughter was in trouble she had been frantic and demanding to know what had happened. Healer Lynde had calmly started to explain the events of the evening, telling Hermoine what she expected was happening and why she couldn't help Rose at the moment. Al had left the room when Hermoine had started crying, not wanting to see any more tears that evening.

Healer Lynde had emerged a few minutes later with a hastily dressed and puffy-eyed Hermoine and Al was unsurprised at her small gasp and sob when she caught sight of her pale daughter. She had rushed to Rose's side and reached out to touch her daughter's hand only to stop when she remembered that it would bring more harm than good.

Upon realizing that she couldn't even hold her sick child's hand Hermoine had collapsed into the chair behind her and just cried. Hugo was at her side in an instant and Hermoine had clung to him like a lifeline. It had taken Hugo and James a while before she calmed down, and since then she just sat there, staring at Rose and thinking.

That was until Rose had a seizure. Hermoine had been up in an instant when Rose had twitched, thinking she was waking up but when Malfoy had called for the Healer and moved forward, reaching out to gently moved to pillows around so that Rose's head and properly supported Hermoine had realized that this wasn't the case.

It had been a short one, Rose spasmed for a seconds before relaxing again, but Hermoine had been hysterical.

The conversation that followed between Hermoine and Healer Lynde was one Al tuned out. Focusing rather on watching Rose and Scorpius then the hear the Healer explain why this was happening again. Scorpius hadn't said much since he had first agreed to wait. Instead, he sat there much like Hermoine had and just watch Rose for any signs of her waking up, only looking away from the red-head when James would address him or the Healer would ask a question.

Movement from the bed in front of him lured Al out of his thought. Rose's arm moved suddenly, twitching. Al closed his eyes and turned his head to hid his face in Lily's curls as Rose started to seize again. It was a horrible sight and it was made even worse by the fact that there was nothing they could do to help it. Hermoine stood from her seat, helpless as Rose shook and convulsed, her limbs locking in the most sicking way. Al tried to drown out the sound of Scorpius's gut-wrenching shh's as he moved to sit by her and gently hold her head, protecting her from hurting herself till the seizer pasted. He was crying, slow tears that hadn't stopped since Al got there and his efforts to make comforting sounds were hindered by the small sobs he couldn't always hold back.

Madam Pomfrey was called and she did and check of Rose's body. Her wand wavering back and forth as she made sure that the girl had not hurt herself. After promising that there was no damage and telling Hermoine and Scorpius that she would be back in half an hour on her rounds and she would check again then too the Healer left, returning to her office to get back to the work she had.

Al clenched his fists and hugged his sister closer to him. His best friends small sounds of pain and misery were almost too much for him to take. Scorpius never cried. It's not that he had something about it, he had no complex that guys shouldn't cry it was just that he never really had a reason to. Al also was never one to just cry. He couldn't even really remember the last time he had cried because he was actually sad or just couldn't stop the tears. But, seeing him sitting there gently stroking the curls from Rose's pale drawn face, Al had never felt more like crying in his life.

 **~oOo~**

 _There was someone else in the room. Rose didn't know how she knew this but know it she did. The pressing knowledge that she wasn't alone was starting to make her panic. Because no matter how she turned or how hard she tried to look, she saw nothing and heard nothing._

 _It was like being in a box, only this box was large and dark and had no walls, only empty space._

 _Rose let out a cry of frustration as she thrashed about in the nothingness of the hanging space around her, knowing that there should be more, that she needed to get out of this place, this void she had somehow fallen into._

 _She should not be here. But how did she escape?_

 _"It's really quite simple. Pay for what you've done, and vow to never disobey me again and you'll go free. Refuse, and well," The voice paused and Rose could almost hear them smiling, "Let's say that's something you don't want to do"_

 _Rose screamed._


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, here the next chapter! I'm really proud of this one so I hope you all like it.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 9**

 **November 29th - 30th**

 **Friday-Saturday**

 **~oOo~**

The quill raced rapidly across a scrap of parchment, the ink smearing and blotches of the dark substance speckling the already almost eligible scrip.

He had to hurry. There wasn't much time.

They had to know.

The man shook in nervousness, his eyes wide as he wrote, forcing himself not to look up as the sound of voices and footfalls came closer and closer.

Snatching the note from the table, the man shoved it into the small hollow tube tied to the owl's leg. He secured the cap, picked up the bird, tore to the window, and threw it open.

The night air was chill and silent. The waning moon shined down on the snow-packed earth. But the young man did not have the time to admire; he had been found out and they were after him.

"Find him, my girl, find Harry Potter."

The owl nodded its head solemnly. She gave his finger the tenderest of nips and tilled her soft head against his hand, her blue eyes sad.

A final goodbye.

"Farewell Athena."

With a last look at her friend and partner for the past ten years, Athena spread her wings and took off into the cold dark night.

She was gone before the man could blink.

But it was all that was needed for them to find him.

Three large men came in with mangled faces and muscles larger than their torso. He fired spell after spell, each one blocked, before one man punched him square in the stomach. The young man doubled over coughing. Bam! Snap! Another punch to the gut and one to his face. He felt the blood trickling down his chin.

A hand gripped his hair and yanked his head back. Two more gripped his arms and twisted them tortuously behind him. He was pushed to his knees, overpowered. His side was on fire, it was difficult to breathe, and his jaw was probably broken.

There was no fighting them off. Even with all his Auror training, he could not see a way out of this one.

The man's attention was drawn to the woman standing casually against the door frame and he growled deep in his throat. Her raven hair was long and sleek, pulled up into elegant braids while the rest fell down her back. Her eyes were doe-like and electric blue, and her slim yet curvy frame was dressed in formfitting black jeans and a red leather jacket.

She smirked. Then, pushing smoothly off the wall she walked over to the desk he had been writing on. She gazed down, eyes calculating, at the still wet ink before running her hand pensively across the surface.

"Take his wand."

The man struggled and spat curses as a hand reached and pulled his precious wand out of his grip. A cold dread seeped into him at the sight of the gorilla-of-a-man holding his only weapon.

"Grey Albertson," she purred. "Funny, I wasn't aware that people were pronouncing it John nowadays. Or is that just your family's take on it?" She looked over at him, and when he gave no answer she smiled. "Either way, I've had Grey Albertson, or John Low whatever you prefer, looked into. And surprise surprise, with a bit of digging I found that there is a Grey Albertson working at the ministry matching your description." She paused, looking at the parchment at the edge of the table. She reached over and touched it lightly, but then dismissed it with a shake of her head. "Tell me. Do you have any idea how a young man the same age as you, with the same face and name, happens to work for the Ministry?"

The young spy didn't answer, eyes hard and unveiling. Suddenly his side ruptured into pain from a kick aimed at his ribs. Grey coughed and gagged, knowing his rib was now cracked.

"Get your thugs off me," Grey seethed, baring bloodied teeth.

"No, I don't think I will... Because you see Mr Albertson, you've double-crossed me and I don't like being double-crossed."

She moved forward, her high-heeled boots clicking on the floor, and crouched down in front of his kneeling form.

"I have to admit Mr Albertson, you did well. Even I believed you were who you said you were." She lifted a hand and traced a blood red painted fingertip along his jaw, her next words coming out in a soft whisper. "For a while."

Her hand moved and cupped his jaw. He growled and tried to jerk his head out of her grip only to have the goon behind him tighten his iron hold on his hair, forcing him to stay still.

Her eyes turned thoughtful and her smile faded slightly. Her finger moved and just the tip of it traced his bottom lip.

"Such a pity." She said softly before lowering her hand and standing. "Take him to the vault."

 **~oOo~**

Harry groaned and rolled over, glaring accusingly at the owl pecking at his window.

"Oh, bloody hell," Ginny moaned pulling a pillow over her face in exasperation. "I'm telling you now Harry if he sends you one more bloody letter at two in the morning I'm moving out."

"I know. I'm sorry, love." Harry said leaning over and giving her a kiss.

"You'd think you were the ruddy Minister of Magic! Can he make even one decision without asking you about what you think first?! Arrggg!"

Harry gave a light chuckle. Yes, Ginny was being a little over the top, but even he had to admit that the Ministers late night letters were starting to get annoying.

He moved over to the window and pulled it open, allowing the owl to move inside. It was then that Harry noticed this was not the Minister's large tawny owl, but rather a beautiful brown and red breed with ice blue eyes he did not know.

Her small breast heaved up and down as though she had flown a far distance very quickly.

Harry tensed. This wasn't right.

"Ginny, this owl needs water and she's probably hungry as well," Harry said moving to unscrewing the tube that held the letter.

Ginny sat up in bed behind him, her eyes no longer sleepy at the sound of his tone. She didn't argue and got up to do as he asked, coming back a moment later from the bathroom with a small cup of water and some owl food.

After a few moments of struggling, Harry got the cap off and took out the small piece of torn parchment. Ginny moved up beside Harry as he started to unravel the paper and she let out a soft gasp of horror when she saw what was written, her hand coming up to cover her mouth.

 _Harry, I've been outed. Don't come for me it's too late. Items go out Dec 31. Midnight. They have locations everywhere. That's all I could find out. I'm sorry, I tried._

 _Please do one thing for me. Tell Anne I love her._

 _-Grey_

Harry stared down at the barely readable note. No matter how many times his eyes scanned the words he couldn't make them make sense. His mind refused to believe that what the note implied could be true.

Just then the fireplace in their room glowed, green flames alerting them to an incoming message. Both Harry and Ginny jumped before Harry dashed across the room and knelt in front of the flames. A face appeared in them.

"Harry."

"Ron, what's going on?"

Ron's face was tight and stressed. "Somethings happened, you need to come in."

Harry paused, feeling his throat tighten, scared to ask but needing to know.

"It's Grey isn't it."

A long silence. "Yes," finally came the reply, "he's been found mate and…. I'm sorry Harry. Grey Albertson is dead."

 **~oOo~**

It was a mess. Papers everywhere. People rushing here and there. Aurors arriving by floo. The ministry going back and forth between the heads of departments. And in the midst of it, Ron Weasley was just trying to do his job.

"Robin, get those reporters out of here! And for Merlin's sake put guards on the lifts so they stop coming up!"

A woman in Auror robes to his right saluted. "On it sir. Jim! Get your lazy arse over here and help!"

As the reporters were herded away, Ron turned back to the massive projection in front of him. It was the entire case. And considering that barely any of the space was occupied, that wasn't saying much.

"Mr. Weasley, you have a floo call from Healer Lynde. She-"

"Tell her that I can't talk at the moment, Patty. We'll have to reschedule the meeting." Ron said off-handedly his eyes scanning the board.

"Sir she-"

"Ron!"

At the sound of Harry's voice, Ron turned his head looking over his shoulder to see his best friend pushing through the crowds to get to him.

Harry looked rough. His glasses and robes were askew and Ron was sure he could see his nightshirt peeking out from the top. And his hair. Ron didn't think Harry's hair had achieved that level of defying gravity since their school days.

"What is all this?" Harry asked, finally making it to Ron, Patty long forgotten in the crowd. "What are all the departments doing here? I thought you said you found the body? Why are we here and not at the site?"

Ron sighed, running a hand through his hair. "When I said found I meant more like stumbled upon," At Harry's confused look Ron let out another sigh. "Come on I'll show you."

Harry followed Ron as he slipped through the crowd some parting in respect for their superiors. But there were so many people that there wasn't much space to move. The two men were forced to squeeze by.

When they turned and started down the hallway that led to the higher up Auror offices Harry's frown deepened and he only became more confused when they stopped by his office door, clearly marked: H. Potter. Head of Auror Dep.

When Ron pushed open the door to reveal about half a dozen people carefully walking about his office, their wands moving about in slow movements Harry knew were scanning spells.

"Oi! I told you not to come- Oh Potter." Harry looked over at the sudden voice.

Draco Malfoy stood from where he had been crouching on the floor and Harry was suddenly aware of a long black bag on the floor.

One with a very human-like outline. One where the top half was unzipped, showing what, who, was inside.

Harry turned and properly emptied his stomach contents all over the floor of the hall.

It wasn't like he had never seen death. Frankly, he had seen more than most. The war had done that to him. His job had done that to him. It wasn't even like he had never seen torture victims. He had learned to tolerate some gruesome things in his line of work. Mangled bodies and slashed skin did not affect him as much as it once did.

But this. This was too much.

He had trained Grey. Had been there through all four years of his coaching. Had even gone to his wedding. Grey, like all those he trained, had become like family. These were the people he spent all his days with, were the boys he watched grow into men. Hell, he even invited them over for Christmas every year.

Seeing him still so young, once so full of life, laying there with his face so badly beaten he was hardly recognizable, tore and twisted Harry's heart until he didn't know if he could take the pain.

Harry knew people were staring. The crowded floor seemed far too quiet replacing the unbearable noise that had been going on, and Harry knew he was the reason for the silence.

It was a strong hand on his shoulder, demanding and unrelenting that kept Harry from breaking down. That hand guided him back down the hall, stepping over the mess he had made, and through the parted crowd to the lifts.

The next thing Harry knew they were standing in a garden, overlooked by a large but cosy looking house. It was cold. The snow all around them untouched by humans, and in the east, the sun was dimly rising causing the earth to shimmer in its wake.

"Alright, Potter?" Draco's voice was gentle, unlike anything Harry had ever heard from him. The hands on his shoulders were no longer rough but a soft pressure of reassurance.

"I'm fine," came the gruff reply. But the tears rolling traitorously down his cheeks told a different story.

Draco sighed, "course you are."

Harry watched as Draco walked to the nearby bench. He cleared the snow with a flick and sat down pulling from his pocket a pack of cigarettes. A flash of flames and then smoke rose in soft wisps.

Harry didn't know how he found himself accepting the smoke Draco offered, or how the other man-made him spill everything on his mind without saying a word. Maybe it was the uncommon gentleness earlier, or maybe it was the fact that for once in his life Draco Malfoy had agreed with him, but all of a sudden Harry was just crying and telling the man that used to be his enemy every ache and pain in his heart.

But Draco Malfoy was no longer the boy of his youth, and neither was Harry. The war had been hard on them both, they had both lost someone along the way. Voldemort had taken something or someone from everyone, but much more from the youth of the time. They had grown up with that loss and it had changed them. They all had lost their childhoods and that messed some up. But some, like Harry and like Draco, hid their pain because they knew that nothing and no one could ever truly help them be rid of it. Because no matter how much time passed, or how good life got, the past would always be a dark shadow and that was something no one could escape.

"He was too young," Harry whispered, eyes on the ground, the smell of smoke stinging his nostrils. "He was only just married. They were planning a life together. It's not fair. Why is he gone and I'm still here? Dammit, he still had his life to live. Why is it him in that black bag and not me?"

Draco looked out over his garden, at the rising sun and the clouds in the distance. "We can't try and find sense in life Harry. It was his time to go. He knew what he was getting into, and he still went. He made his choices. All we can do is just keep making ours and hope that they're the right ones."

Harry knew he was right, but it didn't hurt any less. "It's not fair. They were going to have a child. A little girl."

Draco's heart tightened and he closed his eyes, knowing that there was nothing he could say to that. He leaned back, bringing the cigarette up to his lips and taking a deep drag. He let it out and the smoke clouded his vision for a moment. "No, Potter" he finally agreed, "but life has never been fucking fair."


	10. Chapter 10

**Yay! New chapter!**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 10**

 **November 30th**

 **The continuation of the night**

 **~oOo~**

Ron couldn't keep back a sigh as the heads of departments all stood and started to leave the room. He sat down heavily in his seat, put his face in his hands and just tried to breathe.

It was a mess. This was all such a mess.

Harry had left hours ago and with no signs of him returning Ron was at a loss. Harry was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement not Ron. Harry was always the one in charge of these meetings. Ron was just there to help. He should not have been the one in command at this meeting.

The truth was Ron had always been in Harry's shadow. When he was young that used to bug him, like an itch. But now after everything, Ron sighed, all he wanted was to be in the shadows to live peacefully with his family. He was perfectly happy to let Harry take the spotlight, to be in control.

This was why, after two hours of talking to the Heads and telling them what needed to be done, Ron was exhausted.

He didn't want the pressure of being the one everyone looked to anymore. If he had ever been even slightly envious of Harry for being the one chosen for the Head of the department he wasn't anymore.

This was all a little too much for Ron at-the-moment.

"Weasley"

Ron didn't jump at the loud voice, it was almost as if he knew it was coming. Lifting his head Ron stood, standing as he should when a person of higher authority was talking.

"Sir?"

The Minister walking into the room, closing the door behind him. He was a tall man, thin, sharp looking. His eyes were hard and his dark hair was receding.

Ron didn't like this man, he wasn't even really the Minister, he was simply the stand in while a new one was being elected. The previous Minister had sadly passed away earlier that year, suddenly and unexpectedly, leaving behind confusion and chaos. Electing a new Minister was a lengthy process, and thus Augustine Barr had been put in charge until a decision had been made.

Barr came to a stop in front of Ron, his sharp jaw clenched tight. This man had never liked Ron and Harry, said the fame made them think they were gods, better than the rest of us mere mortals, something Ron resented.

"Tell me, Weasley. You are Potter's partner aren't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"And he is the Head of this department, is he not?"

"Yes,"

"Then, why are you directing a meeting you have no business directing and why isn't he here doing his job."

Ron clenched his fists behind his back, praying to the gods above for patience.

"He had to leave sir. Grey Albertson... Well, Harry trained him, sir. They were close. His death hit him hard."

"He is not being paid to form ties with his men. He has a job to do, there's no time to be galivanting about drinking himself into oblivion. Have you tried to contact him?"

Ron tensed, his teeth hurting from how hard he was clenching them. "Yes sir, he's not answering any of my calls. And sir with all due respect, Harry simply needed a moment. One of his men and a close friend was murdered and left in his office in pieces. This isn't something you find out and not take a few hours to digest."

The Minister shook his head. "Be that as it may Weasley, this is still a case. An open case, may I remind you, and for the investigation to go forward we need all the Heads of Departments here. Not off grieving. Potter needs to learn how to separate his work life from his personal life and how not to have them affect each other."

"I understand sir but as you know while Harry is not here I am his stand in and I have a lot of work that needs to be done. This is something you should be telling Potter, sir. Not me."

The Minister stepped forward, his hands folded behind his ramrod straight back and his eyes focused, "No Auror Weasley this is something I think you need to hear as well. The previous Minister may have favoured you above the others but I will not. You and Potter are here to work and as such, you are not to disappear in the middle of an investigation. A man was murdered. Murdered, Weasley. That takes precedence over emotion. It is our duty and our responsibility to find the one who did this and bring just a little peace to this man's grieving widow. Do you understand me?"

Ron dropped his head a little at the mention of Grey's wife, guilt hitting him hard, and no longer meeting the Minister's eyes. "Yes, sir."

"Good" The Minister moved back and started for the door. "He was one of our own Weasley. He deserves justice for what was done to him."

Ron nodded again.

"Oh and Weasley." Ron looked up, "If you did manage to get in contact with Potter, I suggest you tell him to get his arse back over here before I send out a team to curse it back." Then he was walking out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

"Yes, sir," Ron muttered.

Ron sat back down and just waited for a long moment. Thinking, breathing, calming down. Coming up with a plan. Until he stood and walked to the door with a confident stride and his face set into what he thought looked like what he always called Harry's work face.

It was loud outside the conference room. People moved around, papers lay on every surface and no one seemed to know analysing what they were supposed to be doing.

"Gennings, Forcet, Pairings. Control room, now!"

Ron moved through the herds of people after the shouts of, "Yes sir" had been heard and in a moment he was standing in the Control room.

The room was dark and full of blinking buttons and flashing switches. It was the command post, the H.Q., where the lead technicians and organizers of the missions sat and monitored teams that went out on missions.

At the moment, it was the place where all the data about the murder was being looked over.

A moment later Gennings, Forcet, and Pairings, three of Ron's older Aurors entered the room and Ron started putting them to work. In a matter of an hour, Ron managed to section off all his people into three areas with Gennings, Forcet, and Pairings as their leaders. There was a group for analysing all the evidence they had received from the body and CSI team. A group for trying to figure out how someone had gotten into the Ministry with a dead body and into the Head of Departments locked office. And a team that was working with Ron on figuring out the murder.

Ron was in the middle of directing some new Aurors on what to do when a knock sounded at the door.

He sighed, got up, and moved over to the door. He opened it to find his poor secretary Patty looking quite frazzled.

"Yes Patty, what is it? Is Harry back?"

Patty shook her blond curls, "No sir-"

"Bloody hell!"

Ron motioned for her to continue even as she looked over his shoulder at the man who had just yelled.

"Well sir," she began again, "You see it's Healer Lynd-"

"Patty I told you, With everything that's happened I can't leave. Didn't you tell her that we'd reschedule?"

"I did sir but you see, it's your daughter; there's been an incident."

"What?" Ron moved forward, stepping past the door frame and closing it behind him, efficiently cutting off the loud voices of aruguing Aurors "What about Rose?"

"She collapsed sir."

"What? How? Why? Is she alright?"

Patty shook her head. "Don't know sir. All the Healer said was that you should come as soon as you can."

Ron cursed, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose hard.

His head was racing. Thoughts flying about. His little girl had collapsed. Something was wrong. He needed to get to her. Find out what had happened. But he was needed here. He couldn't leave. With Harry gone he was the only one high enough to run things.

Ron cursed again, hating that this was even a debate in his mind. He should go. He needed to go. Work should not and could not take precedence over his child and his wife. But how could he just leave?

He couldn't.

But Ron was already moving. His head said no but his heart was yelling yes. And his heart was what won out in the end. He had to see his little girl. Flying down the hall, and into the busy common area, Ron ran. He had just made it down the lifts and was exiting into the main level when someone called his name.

Turning, Ron was greeted by a mess of black hair and the smell of smoke.

"Harry! Finally, you need to get upstairs. It was a mess. I just managed to get it all under control. Gennings can explain and fill you in on the case." Ron made a move to leave the floor but Harry grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Woah! Where are you going? I need your help on this."

"It's Rose. Patty says the Healer flooed. Rose collapsed at school."

Harry nodded, his green eyes looking troubled and concerned. "Go, mate, I'll stay here and hold everything over. Send an owl and tell me and Gin how she is yeah?"

"I will mate." Then Ron was running.

 **~oOo~**

 **Hugo's POV**

The clock on the mantle chimed nine o'clock pm and Hugo stirred in his seat. Thirteen hours. That's how long it had been since he had been sent away from the hospital wing by a very frazzled looking head nurse. She had said that they needed to go to class, and that skipping would only hurt them and do nothing to help Rose. They hadn't been able to argue.

Hugo glanced up as the sound of the portrait opening caught his attention, only to sigh and look back at his forgotten textbook when it proved to be no more than a student returning from dinner.

It was no use trying to concentrate on his homework and he knew it.

He was bollocks at potions even when he wasn't distracted. If it hadn't been for his mother he would have skived off more than one assignment.

As it was, he didn't think that his mother was going to be quite as preoccupied with his grades as she was normally.

He slammed his textbook closed in frustration, "Dammit!"

 _Why? Why the hell did Rose have to be so stupid?_ His older sibling was so damn smart. _Why had she acted so bloody irresponsible?_ But his question was already answered for him.

Because it involved Scorpius Malfoy.

Hugo scrubbed a hand roughly down his face, unceremoniously threw his book into his bag and trudged towards the dorms.

Rose and that bloody tosser Malfoy had always driven Hugo nuts. The way they fought and bickered like children. Hugo was by no means mature, in fact, he was the very opposite but he made it a point to never hold grudges.

Pride comes before the fall. That was something Hugo had learned a long time ago. Pride will cost you everything and leave you with nothing. And if there was one thing Hugo knew, it was that his sister had a lot of pride where Scorpius Malfoy was concerned.

It wasn't even big things that she was prideful about. Hugo could think of many small things throughout the years that just held little hints. Like the fact that Rose never apologized to Malfoy for anything, never said thank you even when it was deserved, and never admitted to needing help from him.

But it had always been like this. Even in her first year, Hugo remembered reading Rose's letters home mentioning an annoying git Al had befriended that Rose didn't like at all. His sister was polite to everyone else, but then Malfoy came along and she turned into someone Hugo couldn't recognize.

What Hugo didn't understand was that there was no basis for this dislike. No reason. Rose just seemed to have decided the first time meeting this boy that she wouldn't get along with him. And that made no sense to Hugo.

Then again not a whole lot of Rose and Malfoy's relationship made sense to the younger Weasley.

Hugo tossed his bag onto his four-poster and walked over to the large bay window next to it. The sky outside was dark and the stars glittered brightly even as clouds threatened to block them out.

He sat down on the edge of the window and just stared out it. He so desperately wished that the universe, fate, or whatever all-powerful entity that was controlling all of this would just stop. Why did it always have to be them? Why was the world plotting against the Potter-Weasley family to make life difficult?

Hugo sighed and leaned his head against the cold glass of the window. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the image of his mother crying and Rose seizing out of his head. They were down there, his mom and Scorpius, sitting around his sister, waiting for her to wake up. He felt the guilt and anger at himself that he wasn't there with them. He knew he was acting like a coward, that he should be there with his mother and sister, but he just couldn't.

The thought of sitting there for hours on end, watching Rose in pain, his mother so broken and seeing the tears rolling down her face. It... It was just too much. He hadn't been able to.

He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to block out the memory. Dammit! Why was he such a coward? But no matter how much guilt he felt he still didn't move. He stayed like that, sitting there in his black jumper, his shocking red hair sticking out everywhere, his glasses perched haphazardly on his nose and just thought. And thought and thought.

The sun was rising by the time he finally moved, sliding off the ledge and walking the numbness out of his limbs as he went to take a long, hot shower.

And in all the time thinking he had only come up with one explanation for what had happened.

 _Pride comes before the fall._

 **~oOo~**

 **Scorpius's POV**

Two nights. A day and two nights. That was how long Rose lay there on that bed. Motionless only when the seizures passed.

Scorpius didn't leave Rose's side. Refusing offers of food and only nibbling on bits and pieces when Al demanded it. He tried to stay awake but when sleep did finally manage to overtake him it was restless and full of terrors. He would wake in a cold sweat and feel around frantically for Rose. Because his dreams were always filled with her.

Her face. Her smile. Her voice and sweet laugh. The warmth of her presence next to him. How peaceful she looked sleeping. Her white-hot temper. The fire in her eyes when she was passionately mad. Memories of her would flash past, the good and the bad.

And it freaked him out. More than he cared to admit.

Oh how he wished he had done something, had urged Rose to just talk with him more insistently. Why had he let her just push him away? He had been there when the Healer said that they needed to out things out. Why had he just let things go on until she crashed?

He had felt her feelings of confusion and resentment. He had felt her pulling away from him more than normal. He had seen the dark circles and the haunted look in her eyes. He had noticed all of it but still had done nothing. And now here they sat, Rose pale and weak and barely breathing.

The worst thing, worse even then the seizures, was when Madam Pomfrey had to feed Rose to ensure that she got enough nutrients. Not trusting Scorpius wouldn't drown Rose by doing it wrong the Healer had to use magic to get the contents down. She'd inserted a magical tube into Rose's side, one that could easily be used when needed.

Even though it made him feel sick Scorpius had refused to leave. He insisted he stayed and since he couldn't go very far anyhow the Healers had relented. He sat and held Rose's hand through it all, whispering softly in his head that she would be alright, hoping even though he couldn't feel her that maybe she could still hear him.

He wasn't sure but when he was touching Rose Scorpius thought that maybe she breathed easier and he held onto that, even if it wasn't true.

It was nine o'clock now. Rose had gotten her 'dinner', Scorpius shivered to think of the slimy potion as food, few hours prior. She now lay in clean hospital robes, her hair magically braided away from her face, and her head propped up at a low angle against a fresh pillow.

They were the only ones in the wing that night, all the others having been forced to leave for their classes that morning and had not been allowed to return after dinner. Though there had been arguments Madam Pomfrey won out in the end and the gang had left but only after Pomfrey promised they could come check on Rose in the morning before their classes.

Mrs Weasley was in the Healer's office, as she had been for the past few hours, talking. Scorpius hadn't said much to Rose's mum since her arrival, not knowing what to say to the crying, slightly hysterical woman that was far from the lady Scorpius had met so many times.

Mr Weasley had shown up late the night of the first day, having been away for work or something, Scorpius wasn't sure. He had barged out of Madam Pomfrey's office, from where he had flooed in, and come dashing over to Rose's bedside, still in his Auror robes and looking quite winded.

He too was with his wife now, speaking to Healer Lynde about what they would need to do once Rose woke.

Rose stirred slightly in front of him, efficiently jolting him from his thoughts and he sat forward, his eyes both eager and weary, wondering if she was waking or having another seizure.

When she started to convulse and shake Scorpius felt his throat close up as emotions swelled to the surface. A small voice whispered, ever present in his ear, 'you could have prevented this. All this suffering is because of you.' But he pushed that all down; Rose needed him, he didn't have time for himself. He moved onto the bed next to her and gently held her head as he had been shown to.

Scorpius watched with despair as Rose jerked around, her hands clenched, knuckles turning white with the strength of her grip, her eyes squeezed tight, her body curling into itself just slightly, as though trying to protect itself from danger.

He forced himself not to think about what was causing these seizures.

He knew the answer, deep down. They were Bonded; that was a connection much deeper than anything Scorpius could begin to comprehend, he knew the barest of Rose's most primal feelings. He knew that whatever was happening, wherever her consciousness was at the moment, that she was in pain.

And it broke him.

"It's okay," He breathed softly, "you'll be okay."

 **~oOo~**

 **Rose's POV**

 _Hell. That must be where she was. There was nowhere else it could be._

 _Rose lay on a stone floor. He breath came out in short bursts as she tried not to cry._

 _It was too much._

 _How long had she been here? Was it hours? Months? Years? She couldn't be sure anymore._

 _The wrenching of memories from her head. Having them displayed in front of her again and again. Having them changed just so slightly until she didn't know what was real and what was fake. It was torture._

 _The memory of the first time she had meet Scorpius was playing again. Over and over it had swum past her vision; and over and over again Rose had to watch it, ever changing, ever horrible._

 _She saw herself, standing in a small wooden boat, Hogwarts behind her, the beach in front of her. She was young, the age all children are their first year, and standing there, in front of her, his hand held out for her to shake in greeting, in friendship, was Scorpius. His small face smiled somewhat sheepishly at her, his eyes hopeful, so full of life, and Rose watched as her own face contorted in indecision._

 _Rose sobbed miserably. She didn't think she could stand to see herself reject Scorpius one more time. To see her own lips, her own eyes, so cold for how young she was, move as she told him no._

 _The self-loathing came crashing down as she watched the memory again. Why? Why had she done what she had done? She knew the answer and she hated it. Because of her dad, because of his name, and her mother's name, and her uncle's name, because they were still to this day some of the most famous wizards and witches. And to some that sounded shallow, sounded wrong. She had turned down that boy's hand in friendship because of her family's past. Because of who they were supposed to be. But to Rose's small eleven-year-old brain there were only two things that she could have done in that moment; accept that hand of friendship and betray her family, betray everything her father had ever said to her about the Malfoy's, or turn it away and do what she was supposed to do._

 _It had seemed a simple decision then. She hadn't known this boy, he had meant nothing to her. Why would she have started a friendship with him and caused an uproar within her family? Turning him down had seemed so much simpler._

 _"WHY!" Rose screamed, her sobs choking the last of her word. "Why?"_

 _She couldn't stand to see the image change. To see herself take his hand in friendship. To see what life could have been. To see all that could have been. She saw them working together on homework as first years. Encouraging each other during finals. She saw them holding hands during Hogsmeade weekends and spending summers at each other's houses. She could have been happy. Supported and loved. But that one decision, that stupid eleven-year-old's decision, had changed everything._

 _The scene changed, morphed into the summer of their fourth year. She hadn't thought about this day for so long. But there it was, the beautiful lush green canopy of trees below her, the wind blowing gently and warm, and the sun happily shining down. Exactly as she remembered. They were flying. Al, Malfoy, and herself. Flying over the forest behind Al's house. Everything was fine. Her and Malfoy were even getting along just a little more than normal. It had been a good day._

 _Then something happened. The memory changed into something it wasn't. Rose and Malfoy collided, Rose had moved too far to the right, she hit his broom, he lost control. He fell._

 _This simple, peaceful memory was now corrupt._

 _Rose clenched her eyes tight, crying, sobbing, pleading, as the vision played again._

 _He dropped. Al couldn't save him. Rose either._

 _"Please stop! STOP!"_

 _It was no use. Malfoy's screams. His blood. His lifeless eyes haunted Rose. Drowned out any thought._

 _It was punishing her. Making her watch over and over things she had done. That time in the third year when she had laughed at Malfoy after he accidentally transfigured his feet into pots and tripped, hurting himself. When in the second year Malfoy had tried to make amends only to have Rose walk away without a word. When she had ignored him every time he did something she didn't like. Stupid things. Silly things. But mean and spiteful nonetheless. It forced her to watch all this, then showed her his death, in so many different ways._

 _Because he wasn't just dying. He was dying for her._

 _It was too much. She couldn't take it._

 _"No. No, no stop. Stop," Rose sobbed hopelessly, curling up onto her side._

 _Her heart ached. Her body felt torn apart. Her humanness. Her humanity couldn't take so much death. So much pain. So much of the same lifeless grey eyes looking up at her and knowing that they were lifeless because of her._

 _She couldn't take the guilt._

 _She couldn't._

 _"I'm sorry," She screamed. Sobbing. Hurting. Aching. "I'm so so sorry,"_

 _And just as she thought she might die herself from it all; it was over. The influx of memories stopped._

 _Calming, soothing, and sly came the voice, "I think you've learned your lesson."_

 _Rose was unaware of her faded consciousness. She was too relieved. But as she stared into the darkness, the image of Malfoy was still there. Ingrained into her mind too strongly for even the blackness to erase._

 _She let out a sob. It wasn't over. And it never would be._

 _This thing had left Rose with something. It had taught her a lesson. One she wished she had learned long ago._

 **~oOo~**

 **Rose's POV II**

Tears. There were tears in her eyes and they weren't even open yet. She didn't even know where she was and still, she was crying. But all she could feel was relief that she wasn't in that place anymore, that it was over. Rose didn't know how she knew it was over, she just did. The pain was gone, the loneliness was gone, the guilt... no, the guilt was still there, but she was out. Out of that place. Out of hell, and she could feel nothing but an overwhelming sense of relief at that.

Rose was disoriented, scared, and so very tired. She wanted very much to know where she was and what had happened.

Slowly, cautiously, Rose lifted her heavy eyelids, squinting before opening them completely when there was no blinding light of day. Instead, there was a dim, flickering glow of torches. Torches that were lighting up the stone walls of the hospital wing and a bit of the bed Rose was currently laying on.

A rustle, the soft sound of cloths brushing against skin sounded to her left and Rose suddenly became aware of a gentle weight on her left hand.

Rose's breath caught and suddenly her tears came faster, leaving tracks down her cheeks. Turning her head ever so slightly Rose saw who was sitting beside her.

Malfoy, tousle-haired, wrinkled clothes, and slightly red-eyed sat peacefully by her side, sleeping. His head bowed, his arms resting on his knees, and his warm callused hands clasped loosely around her own.

Rose took another sharp breath, then another, and another. Maybe it was the noise she was making, maybe it was her pain seeping through the bond, or maybe it was the way her hand suddenly clenched around his but in a moment Scorpius was lifting his head, his own hand tightening in hers and for the first time in days Rose was staring into blue-grey eyes that were so uncommonly filled with relief.

"Rose."

Rose couldn't stop it, the overwhelming wave of emotion crashed down and started pouring out of her eyes and she was suddenly sobbing, crying in a way she had never done before. Desperately, hopelessly, because that simple word, her name spoken in that soft whisper of relief and happiness, her name being spoken by this boy she had tried so hard to hate but just couldn't anymore was the breaking point for her.

Because even after everything, everything she had said, done, this boy, he still cared.

And when that boy moved closer and Rose found herself wrapped in his strong, warm embrace, his arms wrapped tightly, comfortingly around her, she didn't want to fight it anymore. She didn't want to be angry anymore. She didn't want to hate him anymore. Because she was tired, so so tired of fighting, of being angry and of hating someone that made it so bloody hard to hate.

"Shhh, Rose, you're alright, I got you. I'm not letting you go," His breath was warm on her neck and Rose buried deeper into his arms, pressing her face into the crook of his neck and breathing in the scent that was just so him... Scorpius.

She couldn't think about what this meant right now, she didn't want to think, she just wanted to stay there, in his arms his hand rubbing soothing circles up and down her back, and just... just be.

And as his soft words of comfort, his slow rocking, the gentle movements of his hand, and the rise and fall of his chest lulled Rose back into peace she said the one thing that couldn't wait to be said.

"I'm sorry, Scorpius, for everything."

She felt him pause, felt him stiffen with surprise but she was done. Rose was tired of fighting and talking. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. Because she was tired, and there in Scorpius's arms she didn't fear what would happen when she closed her eyes, didn't fear the darkness and pain that had been the past few days of her life. Because he took that pain and darkness away, whether he knew it or not.

And in that moment Rose trusted that he would hold her and keep the monsters at bay. For the first time, Rose trusted Scorpius to keep her safe and in her heart she knew, just knew that he would and that was why, after everything, Rose was able to sleep that night, peacefully, calmly in the arms of a boy she had once hated.


	11. Chapter 11

**WARNING: strong language.**

 **IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: There were a few people that left reviews on the last chapter that I felt needed to be addressed. Some people did not like the fact that Rose came to terms with the bonding through torture. It was called abusive. I completely understand, but I did this on purpose. Soul Bonding is a curse. A curse usually means evil. There had to be harsh consequences, and Rose needed something this extreme to face her problems. I'm sorry if you don't like the method but this is how I planned it would go.**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 11**

 **December 2nd**

 **~oOo~**

It was dark when she opened her eyes, much like when she had closed them. In fact, as Rose groggily looked around, she thought for a moment that no time had passed at all.

The moments before she fell asleep again were fuzzy. After she crashed in Malfoy's arms she had been awakened by just about everyone imaginable. Madam Pomfrey, Healer Lynde, her parents, family, and friends were all there, and it was all overwhelming. They all fussed for a while and most people were crying tears of joy to see Rose alive and well. Hermione appeared to be restraining herself from wrapping Rose in a hug and kissing her face over and over again.

Even Al looked like he wanted to cry. He had Lily clinging to his arm with tears streaking down her cheeks. Rose's friends were all huddled together relief evident on their faces.

After all the emotional crying and words were finished, Rose was forced to sit up and have about every test Madam Pomfrey could run on her. And after about an hour, the old nurse had declared that despite being a bit bruised and sore, there was nothing wrong with Rose and that all she needed now was to rest. She then ushered everyone out, telling them over and over that Rose needed her rest after what had happened and that they were only crowding her now. Hermione and Ron argued that they wanted to stay with her, but Rose had seen the dark circles under their eyes and knew that if they stayed they would not sleep. They left when Rose had assured them she was fine and that she would see them in the morning. She had then passed out from exhaustion on her pillow.

The hospital wing was quiet and peaceful now. Nothing appeared amiss, but Rose couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. Glancing to her left Rose saw the soft light of what must be dawn coming through the windows.

So some time must have passed, though whether it was just the morning after passing out or days later she didn't know.

She moved, pushing herself up on her elbows and wincing at her sore muscles and throbbing headache. Everything hurt and she dreaded getting up. She felt oddly cold in that dim light room, even though the room itself was warm and Rose was covered in blankets.

Then why?...

Suddenly she froze, becoming aware of what was missing. Her breath catching and her heart beat rising alarmingly fast.

She felt herself start hyperventilating.

Scorpius, she thought desperately. Where was he? He wasn't there, he wasn't next to her like he should be.

Rose moved her eyes around the dim space, searching for the blonde boy she needed.

Her magic reached out, hunting for its other half, searching around her desperately. She did this almost automatically, knowing that she needed to see him, to make sure that the darkness hadn't gotten him too. And just as she was starting to freak out completely she found it, the soft steady beat. The sound filled her ears and Rose felt herself slump with relief. She closed her eyes and drank in the rhythm of his heartbeat so close to her.

He was alright, he hadn't left her. They were alright. Nothing bad had happened.

Looking to her right Rose squinted, searching the darkness for him. The torches were out, making the room so dark and in shadow. Even with the sun rising, its light was dismal at best. It took her a moment but she finally spotted his outline by the window just over from her.

He was sleeping, that much she could tell from his heartbeat, and the longer Rose looked the clearer she could see him. He was resting on the wide window sill, his back pressed against the side, one leg stretched out in front of him and the other dangling over the edge.

His face looked peaceful in the dim light of the rising sun and Rose felt calm at just the sight of him.

Sitting up slowly, Rose moved her legs over the edge of the bed. Trying to ignore the pain, she stood. She half expected her legs to give out under her but they held fast, if not a bit wobbly.

Rose moved deliberately, tentatively, around the next bed and over to the window that he sat at. As she walked toward him, she felt the pull to be closer; it was like a primal need, an instinct. She needed to be next to him, to feel his skin against hers. Even if it was simply holding his hand, the Bond was craving connection.

She was about six feet away when he opened his eyes. He turned his head, which was still leaning up against the stone and his gaze fell on her with a heaviness that startled her, making her falter in her step. Because they weren't sleepy or dull like one might expect after waking up, but bright and... glowing?

It must be the trick of the light Rose thought dimly.

He watched her as she walked over, his strangely bright eyes following her progress. He didn't say anything, not even a greeting as he moved his leg, pulling it up close to his body to make room for her on the ledge.

Rose sat down gently, careful not to jostle her already pounding head more. She stretched out her legs, almost touching his foot but deciding that she didn't want to intrude in his space any more than she already was. She tried to get comfortable on the stone ledge but found that it wasn't the ideal place to sit, let alone sleep.

Rose looked Scorpius over. He wasn't watching her anymore, rather he had turned his head to gaze out the window at the rising sun and how it cast brilliantly bright oranges and yellows into the dark blue sky. He had changed since she had last woken up, and was dressed simply in a pair of sweatpants and an old worn tee-shirt that looked like it had seen better days.

His hair looked sleep worn and tousled but his face held no sign of sleep at all. He still hadn't said a word and the silence was starting to bother Rose. They hadn't said much while everyone was there fussing and talking, and since Rose had passed out just after there hadn't been time for anything other than a quick,"You okay?"

Now though they had the whole wing to themselves and he was as quiet as the grave. Usually you couldn't shut this boy up, but here he was turned away from her watching the sunrise.

Rose was disoriented. She didn't know what day it was or how long she had been out. But more than that she wanted to know what was wrong with the blonde boy. The way he was just sitting there. It unnerved Rose deeply.

There was a tension in the room. A feeling that Rose didn't understand, it was cold and felt a little hostile, like an animal ready to strike. There was something wrong, very wrong with the way Scorpius was acting and though he had made space for her on the sill Rose got the feeling that he didn't really want her there. Knowing somehow that it was crossing some sort of invisible line but not knowing what else to do Rose spoke.

"Scorpius?"

The word, his name, his first name, rang oddly loud and unsure in the complete silence of the Hospital wing.

He made no move. The clock on the wall ticked the seconds by. Rose heard nothing but it and her own breathing. She was even a bit unsure whether he had heard her or not.

Tentatively, Rose tried again. "Scorpius, are you-" Rose faltered, uncertain.

"Scorpius are you alright?"

He turned at that and Rose shuddered slightly at his eyes. She had always found them so beautiful and alluring, so annoying filled with mischief but these... These eyes, well, they scared her just a little. She shivered at the brightness of the grey almost whiteness of them.

Something was wrong. Something was terribly terribly wrong.

He turned his head again to gaze out the window and Rose thought that he wouldn't answer her.

Then he did. "No, Weasley, I'm not alright."

His voice. Rose felt her throat tighten. It was low, gravely, and lacked the emotion that should have been there.

She shouldn't talk, this wasn't her place, he was dealing with his own things and Rose knew he didn't want her to interfere. But she had just woken up, and the memories of The Darkness were still fresh in her mind. There was one thing that stood out to her, bright and clear. They needed to talk.

"What is it?"

He was silent for a long moment, so long that Rose thought again that he may not respond, but then he did and his words cut more than the silence ever did.

"You, Rose... Just you."

Rose was taken aback, not knowing what he meant by that. Her mind flashed back to the way he had held her after she woke up, however long ago that was, the way he had promised everything was okay and that she would be alright.

She had thought that that was the start of their healing. Thought that when they did talk, that they would have a solid ground to start on.

But now it felt like there were on two very diffrent grounds. Taking a breath she prodded the hornets' nest again.

"What? Scorpius, look at me. What do you mean me? What happened?"

He trained those eyes on her again and Rose realized why his eyes were so bright.

He was crying.

She had never seen that before, she had never seen him cry. The wetness that made so many people's eyes red and puffy only made his brighter. She felt breathless with the realization.

And those wet eyes were hard as he ground out a word, "Don't."

His voice was stiff and strained. It was a warning, she knew the sound of a person on the edge of an explosion, but even though she knew she should get up and go back to her bed, leave this boy to his thoughts, she couldn't. Because that would mean that he would be alone and whatever was hurting him, even if it was her, would only dig its way in deep. Rose knew what it was like to hold ones feeling inside, all too soon it became impossible to even think about let alone talk about.

And Rose didn't want him to hold the pain inside. She didn't want him to hurt alone. Even if these feelings were all too foreign and strange to think about.

"But what's wrong?!"

His eyes sparked, "You want to know what's wrong? Fine. I'll tell you, Weasley. You broke me. You broke me and I don't know how to fix it!"

Rose's heart skipped a beat, she opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out she was so stunned, but it didn't matter, Scorpius was talking again, and now that he started it seemed that he wasn't going to stop.

"Do you know what you did to me, Rose?" His voice once low was rising, his eyes sparkling with tears and anger. "I tried, I tried so hard to respect your boundaries, to give you time to adjust. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, I knew how you felt about me, about this," he gestured between them, symbolizing the Bond, "but I thought that you were adult enough, hell responsible enough to deal with it, that you would accept what happened and that things would get easier." He stopped and took a breath, and a tear rolled down his cheek, whether from frustration or some other emotion Rose didn't know. "Instead you pushed me away. You didn't let me help you, you didn't let the Healer or Pomfrey help you. You weren't truthful with me when I asked you all those times if you were okay. You pushed me away and all but told me to fuck off. What the hell Rose? Why the fucking hell would you do this to yourself and me? It broke me to see you like that, over and over again in so much pain. Your mother almost had a mental breakdown, your family and friends worried about you for days, them sleeping in here just so that they could be close. Do you fucking care? I thought you had some sense!"

"Whether you give a fuck or not, I care about you Rose. I was in this. I was willing, hell I wanted to work this out. I tried so hard to just talk to you, to just get you to sit down and be honest with me for once. But you and your pride pushed me to the back corner. You looked at me like I was something nasty under your shoe when all I wanted was to work things out with you, to try and get on some sort of even ground."

He was breathing hard now and in one fluid motion he was off the ledge and standing a few feet away like he couldn't stand to be so close to her.

He ran both hands through his messed up hair, looking angry and confused. " I tried," He said softly, though he still sounded angry. " I worked so hard to try and figure out why you did this. Why the hell you would push me away and cause us both so much pain. Are you really that selfish? That prideful? Is this stupid feud that has been going on that important that you would risk your health, hell your life, to keep it going? I watched you day after day Weasley, watched you slowly get worse and worse and I tried, I wanted to help so fucking bad but every time I even thought about talking to you about it you closed me off completely. Why? You knew what was happening, you knew that doing what you did would cause something like this.-"

At that Rose cut in, standing to her feet, feeling her temper rise even in the misdst of all his truth.

"I knew no such thing Malfoy. If I had known what would happen I would have done things differently, you can't blame me for what I had no control over."

As she said it Rose knew that she had crossed the line. Malfoy's eyes bugged a little and his face grew red with anger.

"No control over it?! NO CONTROL!" He was yelling now, his anger getting the best of him. "Oh, of course, stupid me, I forgot that you had no control over what happened. Fucking hell Rose! You know as well as I do that this was your doing. Everyone tried to reach out to you and you shut them all down. You did this to yourself. You don't even realize… that you hurt me to do you? I felt physical pain Rose. Pain because you couldn't handle the fact that we are Bonded. Do you really find me that revolting? That appaling to be around that you would rather go to hell and back then to simply live with me?" He threw up his hands looking at her for an answer, and when she didn't give him one he shook his head.

He turned away from her, his back rising and falling with his quickened breaths.

Rose stood quietly, her eyes trained on his form. His words played over and over in her head focusing on the emotion he had put into them. Anger. Fear. And something else? Suddenly the morning sun poured through the window scattering the shadows and illuminating Malfoy in its warm golden light. That soft quiet moment led to an epiphany that would change her forever.

Scorpius Malfoy felt something for her. Something deeper than a few weeks of Soul Bonding could produce. He cared for her. Was it as friends or something deeper she didn't know, but it had to be the truth. Yes, he was angry and hurt by her actions, but he was also afraid. Afraid of losing her, afraid that they would never get along, and maybe afraid that she would never feel the same.

And Rose wanted to clear that fear away. She had been foolish. Her pride and resentment had only hurt herself and Malfoy. She wanted things to be better.

Rose closed her eyes and tried not to think of the things she had seen in The Darkness, but the images just kept coming back.

She had seen that all those years she could have had something real with him. He could have been her friend, kind and loyal throughout the years. He would have been a rock for her, made the bad times good and the good times better. And when the Soul Bonding happened, they could have transitioned from what they were, friends, to what they needed to be. It could have been easy, or easier at least

She could have loved him.

If she had taken his hand of friendship on the rickety old boat, they would have crossed the water together toward an adventure greater than either could have imagined.

He would have made Hogwarts home.

But she hadn't, and she had turned her back on what could have been some of the best years of her life.

Rose didn't know how to go back in time. She didn't know how to truly fix the past and the pain, but she now saw that she had to, because if she wanted any type of future she needed to fix the past.

"I don't find you revolting Scorpius," her gentle tone eased the tension in his shoulders so she continued, "I find you nothing of the sort. You are a good and kind person Scorpius, I know that. I have always known that. I know you tried and what I said came out all wrong. It was my fault. I see that now. What I should have said- what I need to say is I'm sorry. I am so sorry that I caused you pain. That was never my intention. And I am sorry that I pushed you away."

Rose took a breath knowing that the next few words would be hard, but they were the truth. Scorpius had been truthful with her and now she needed to do the same.

"I was scared," she admitted softly, "I was scared that if I let you in that you would hurt me, I know that's not fair, I know that you have done nothing to root that fear in me but it's there. I was-" Rose felt something wet slide down her cheek but made no move to wipe it away, "I was terrified of getting close to you Scorpius, even just on a talking base, because I knew if I did that I would let my guard down-" she was talking faster now her words spilling out without a filter. Scorpius turned slightly, not really looking back at her but she knew he was listening. "-that you would wiggle your way in with your charming smiles and your stupid jokes and your annoying way of always seeming sure of yourself. I was afraid-" Rose was terrified of what she was going to say next but it needed to be said, "-dammit, I was so afraid that you would work your way into my heart and that I wouldn't be able to get you out again."

Scorpius turned at that and his eyes were just as bright as before, but the anger had faded, leaving behind a kind of defeat.

"Please," Rose said softly, her hands clasping in front of her, "I didn't mean to hurt you Scorpius, I swear it but I didn't know what to do. I'm not good at these things, I don't trust people easily and it takes even more for me to care about them. And you being you I knew that if I didn't do something I would fall for you hard and I would not be able to get over it."

"Weasley." His voice was soft and just a little bit questioning.

Rose raised a hand, "I'm not in love with you Scorpius Malfoy. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that I pushed you away because I am scared. I'm scared that you'll hurt me, even now I can't help but think this will all backfire on me and I'll end up damaged beyond what I can fix. Does that make me insane? Does that make me unreasonable, to fear this when you have done nothing to hurt my heart? I don't know, but if it does then," Rose shrugged, "I can't help you, because this IS what I feel, and this is why I can't help but want to turn around and not even try. Because in my mind, this can go one of two ways, we can work all this out and we could be happy, or, I can let you in, I can let myself care about you and this doesn't work out and I'm left alone and in pain."

"Rose-"

"No, let me finish. If I don't say this all now I don't think I ever will." Scorpius nodded and Rose took a breath. "Even after all that I read and have been told about this Bond, I don't trust that we are absolutely meant to be. I can't. I'm not a romantic. I can't trust that we'll be okay just because we care about each other Scorpius. People fall apart even though they love each other, what's to say that we'll be different? Who's to say that if I let you in that if we develop feelings for each other that it won't all fall apart in the end? I can't do that Scorpius. I can't fall for you only to have you ripped from my hands, because I know my heart and I won't recover from that. Can you guarantee that if I let you close to me that you won't burn me? Can you? Because I can't."

Scorpius was silent for a moment, his eyes regarding her and the words she spoke. Rose thought he might turn away, his eyes gave away nothing that he felt. Rose thought that her words hadn't been good enough, she thought that sorry wouldn't be enough for all she had done. And sadly she understood that. She didn't expect him to forgive her or tolerate her anymore.

Just as Rose was giving up hope, he stepped forward. Before Rose knew what was happening he had her face in his hands and he was looking into her eyes. Her breath caught and she felt herself start to freak out that he was going to do something stupid like kiss her.

But he didn't, his hold was soft, only nudging her to look at him.

"Rose," He said gently, all anger gone, all his accusations forgotten in this new light, "You know I can't promise something like that-" Rose opened her mouth to say something but Scorpius shushed her, "It's my turn." He continued, "I can't promise that it will all be okay, that we will always be good, that you won't want to kill me sometimes," That got a small smile from her, "Or that I won't want to smother you with a pillow at times. I can't promise that we won't hurt each other, or that we will stay close. No one can promise that. I'm not a seer, I don't know what will happen tomorrow, but I can promise to take care of you. To be there when you need me. To help you. I can promise that the time we do have can be great if you let it be. I get that you are apprehensive about this all, but Rose you can't just let that control your life. That's not how it works and I know you know that."

"You're a smart girl Rose Weasley, I think you'll be okay no matter what happens. Take a chance, trust me even just a little won't you? That's all I want. You don't have to break down your walls, but let me at least see the city behind, even from a distance. I'll accept that for now, we'll go at your pace and take things slow. What do you say? Want to give this a go?"

Rose looked up at this boy. This boy that's promising her nothing but his heart. Nothing but himself and the future, whether it be good or bad and found herself taking it. She knew that if this didn't work that he would back away, he would give her what she needed, space and time. He would never pressure her into something she didn't want. Even after all the pain she had caused, he still cared. What else could she do but accept? He was hers and she had to at least try, or she would never forgive herself.

She found herself wrapping her arms around him and just holding him. His arms were quick to hold her, and something deep within Rose released at the feel of him around her. This was right, she was making the right decision. Because even if this all went up in flames she had tried and that was all she could do.

"Alright," She whispered softly.

He chuckled and she felt his satisfaction through their strengthening bond. She pulled back slightly and looked up at him, smirking.

"But before you get any ideas Malfoy, I want us to just be friends."

He lifted an eyebrow and smirked, his hand drifting a little lower on her back in a cheeky manner, "Just friends huh?"

Rose shoved him away playfully, grinning softly. "Yes, friends. It's a start, we'll see where it goes from there."

Scorpius's own smile grew soft, "Rose Weasley, friend of Scorpius Malfoy." He tilted his head back, pretending to be pondering something dramatic, "You know what? I like the sound of that."

He threw his arm around her shoulders and together they walked back to their beds.

Rose smiled, "I think I do too."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello lovelies, here it is, the next chapter, just as you ordered. I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm very happy that I got it out before the end of the month. Hopefully, it was soon enough for you guys. :)**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 12**

 **December 10th**

 **~oOo~**

 **Scorpius POV**

Hogwarts castle seemed to transform overnight. The once bare halls were now decked out in every Christmas themed thing the house elves could get their little hands on. Drapes of red and green with Christmas trees and Santa Clauses on them hung between the windows. Shiny silver snowflakes on strings hung from anything and everything. All the armour stands, mounted heads and even the portraits now wore Santa hats of red and white. Statues were charmed to belt out Christmas carols anytime someone walked past and the armour stands played each other as their accompanying instruments. Some of the staff even wore a type of festive piece of clothing, though that was few and far between, and their classrooms had not been spared from the house elve's Christmas fever.

In the Great hall, the sides had been lined with large fir trees that professor Flitwick decorated that morning, making them glitter and glow with giant ornaments, lights, and tinsel. While he was at it, the teacher had cast a pretty sick charm that caused it to snow indoors. The soft white flecks fell from the ceiling, disappearing just before touching that ground and never staying on students more than a second or two.

Hogwarts was now busting at the seams with Christmas spirit. When class let out the halls were filled with the talk of students and the singing of statues. Peeves the Poltergeist flew around causing havoc to the students, dropping freezing cold water balloons on people, pulling pranks, taunting and cursing, singing along with the statues and generally just being Peeves.

In other words, Hogwarts was perfectly normal.

Including the Gryffindors.

"Run! Come on they're gaining!"

Rose Weasley's voice was heard up and down the hallways of Hogwarts as she and Scorpius ran.

She was breathless, her grin so big it looked like it hurt, her hair whipping around her face as she ran, turning back to look behind them.

Laughter filled the hallway as onlookers saw them coming, their own faces lighting up at the antics.

Al was just behind the two teens, running almost as fast with Mary by his side. Ash and Liz were close on their heals and behind them ran Grace.

Students pushed back against the walls as the Gryffindors came barreling by, most cheering them on while some of the more mature ones sighed in exasperation at their childishness.

Scorpius was laughing too hard to even notice.

The finish line was coming up, the DADA classroom door stood open at the end of the hall, ready to welcome the late students. Most students were in already and the class was scheduled to start in what Scorpius guessed was about thirty seconds.

Three feet from the door he and Rose skidded to a halt, winning the race by a centimetre. Al almost crashed into them as he too stopped and Mary, Ash, Liz, and Grace came to a standstill as well, all of them completely out of breath.

Even Scorpius was out of breath. Though he ran often, that race had been brutal. Two flights of stairs, nine hallways and four very near-crashes.

Rose grinned. "We won," she breathed, sounding very winded.

"By an inch," Al retorted, scowling. "Since when are you faster than me?"

Rose shrugged, looking very pleased with herself, "It's a new era Potter."

Al rolled his eyes about to say something but a clearing of a throat stopped him.

"Class is about to start. Are you coming in or are you going to continue PE out in the hall?"

The Gryffindors turned to find Mr Stonewall standing behind them looking none too impressed with them racing to his class.

"Sorry sir," they all muttered and streamed past him into class. The students inside all chuckled and giggled, welcoming the latecomers with smiles and high fives.

"Alright everyone please, settle down, we have a lot to cover today and not a lot of time." Stonewall turned and walked over to his desk, "Everyone please turn to 214 in your textbooks and read the third paragraph."

Scorpius glanced at Rose as they went to find their seats, fearing that she would be upset for having gotten in trouble with a superior, but he found that she was still grinning, her eyes bright and playful.

This surprised Scorpius. Though he supposed a lot of the things Rose Weasley did surprised him now.

It had been a little over a week since they had been in the hospital, after a long talk with their Healer, Rose's parents and Madam Pomfrey and promising to come in immediately if something felt wrong they had been allowed to leave the wing. Rose's parents had left that day, knowing she would be fine and that all she needed now was normalcy.

And since then it was like she was a whole new person after waking up.

No, Scorpius thought as they took their seats, she hadn't changed completely. She was still bossy, still stubborn, still loved to roll her eyes, but something had changed. She said yes to things that seemed a little stupid now, like racing to class. She smiled more, laughed more, she joked and looked generally happier.

Scorpius didn't know if their new found friendship had triggered this change or if it was what had happened to her while in the hospital but he felt happy. For the first time in too long, he felt unreservedly happy.

Rose Weasley was as sweet and caring to him just like she was to her other friends. Her eyes when she looked at him now weren't filled with annoyance or irritation. When she shoved him now it wasn't because she was fed up with him or angry, it was playful and gentle.

He found himself looking at her more, his gaze falling on her subconsciously. sometimes he stared at her for hours, during class and when they were in their dorm and she had fallen asleep reading.

And here he was again staring at her long red hair, at her hands as they moved across the parchment, her eyes as she scanned words, her eyes brows as they nit together in concentration. Today her hair was up in a messy bun and a few strands had fallen over her face from the running. She looked a little like a mess but somehow it was even more endearing.

Everything about her drew him in, captured him and held him there. And now when their eyes met her gaze was soft, even though he was used to hardness.

All these feelings were strange and jarring. He was in awe, he was unsure, he was nervous, he was thrilled. Everything was new and alarming but warm and comfortable at the exact same time. How could he feel so much in one small moment?

Her lips, so soft and pink, were moving. She was asking him something, but now he was distracted by her face.

She wasn't wearing makeup today. He liked it. He had never thought she needed the stuff, her skin was flawless and perfectly pale with rosy cheeks and those adorable freckles that Scorpius longed to touch. When she wore makeup they were often covered. Her eyes were framed by her eyelashes only and their dark red colour made her blue eyes pop more than normal. And her lips...

Rose furrowed her brow in concern and confusion. Scorpius blinked. She had asked him a question, hadn't she? Shit! What had she asked? Uh... she had asked… "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he said, taking a breath and sitting up straighter, "Yeah sorry, just zoned out there for a moment."

Rose nodded, seeming to take that excuse. She had caught him staring this time, and he was so relieved that she said nothing about it. In the past, she would have got angry and said something spiteful to him. Now she just turned her attention back to her parchment. He used to know when he upset her. Had this upset her? It probably had.

Forcing his gaze forward to Stonewall, Scorpius tried to ignore the girl beside him.

He shouldn't be staring at her, couldn't be thinking about her in anyway other than a friend would. He knew this. They needed to be friends first, they needed to build trust and learn to live with each other first before they could have something more.

They knew so little about each other even though they had spent six years in close company. They needed to get to know each other before they could go further. That was the only way this would work. Being friends was already alien enough, they needed to get good at that, become comfortable around each other.

They needed to heal the wounds of the past before they focused on the future.

But even as he was lecturing himself mentally his mind wandered back to her. She was close, closer then he was used to. Her warmth seemed to penetrate into his skin, making him hot and feeling like he needed to take off his sweater in the typically cold classroom.

Scorpius shook his head. No, he thought, focus on the lesson, not her. He closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to centre himself.

Big mistake.

As he took a deep breath her smell, the scent of the books she was always around, the scent of the mint chocolate quills she liked to nibble on during class and rose scented perfume she wore filled his nose. He had no clue how she always smelled like these things, but dammit. He felt his mind zone in on it.

This is stupid, he thought, just ignore her, it's not that hard.

But it was. She was all around him, taking up every sense he had. Taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell. He could still taste that mint chocolate quill he had nicked from her the class before. He could feel her leg and arm brush against him every time one of them moved. He heard her breathing and the soft humming of the song stuck in her head. He saw her out of the corner of his eye. And he could smell her.

He didn't know how to escape her, she was intoxicating, every inch of her.

Scorpius laid his head down on the table and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply through his mouth trying not to smell her, he moved to the edge of his seat so they wouldn't touch, he tried to focus on Stonewall's voice and tried to clear his mind of any thought.

But she was in his mind too, there was no safe place. Everywhere he looked she was there, her pale beautiful face looking at him sweetly, her voice and laugh, the feel of her skin, so soft and warm, against him.

Her eyes.

Suddenly her hand was on his shoulder, soft and warm just as he remembered. He turned his head from where it had been resting on his arms and opened his eyes in what he hoped was a sleepy manner.

And there they were. Those eyes.

 _'Hey, you're not okay.'_

Her voice wasn't audible, but a breath and gentle whisper in his mind.

No escape.

 _'I'm fine, trust me, just bored and tried.'_

She didn't seem to take this as well as his last excuse but she nodded slowly after a minute and pulled her hand away. His skin felt cold were her fingers had been and he groaned internally in irritation.

It was going to be a long day.

 **~oOo~**

 **Rose POV**

Malfoy was acting weird. Well weirder than normal anyway.

The wind howled and the snow drifted around them while the Gryffindor team flew above their heads. James, the captain, was yelling orders, flight patterns, and just being an ass when something went wrong. This was usually the time during practice that Malfoy and Al would be causing the most trouble. Pretending to fight and shove each other, yelling and making faces and generally just lifting spirits. Now, however, the team was in fight or flight mode. No longer were they cocky, or goofing around. If they wanted to win they needed to work and work hard. Not that it seemed to be helping much.

Rose glanced over at the blonde again.

Instead of watching the organized chaos above them, yelling and shouting like he normally would be, Scorpius sat still, his eyes distant and unfocused. His mind was closed off to her like it had been for the last week, meaning that Rose had no way of finding out what was bothering him.

She didn't mind that he was shut off from her mind. They had just gotten on good terms and Rose by no means expected him to be completely open with her right away. He still had his secrets and she still had hers, but even she wasn't cutting him off completely mentally.

Malfoy had asked for just a tiny glimpse into her mind. Well, she was trying to be better than that. Her walls had come down and there was very little that she was concealing from him now. She was trying to trust him, and part of that was trusting him with her thoughts.

But he seemed to always be lost in his thoughts nowadays, only coming to when she talked to him or prodded him. He tried to hide his fleeting glances but Rose saw them anyway. She also felt his rising heart rate when she did.

His staring didn't bother her, what did bother her was the fact that he was trying to hide it.

Rose shook her head, this wasn't the time or place to be thinking about it, she had a game to watch.

"Ok," James was yelling, "let's try that again and this time, Mark-" he looked pleading to the Chaser, "please don't try any fancy tricks with Wellings, you know it won't end well."

Mark saluted while Wellings, Malfoy's stand-in, looked a bit sheepish.

They started their routine again. Each time was a game of one step forward two steps back. James kept running the play over and over again. It was frustrating to watch. After another thirty minutes of complete fails in coordination with each other, he called the team to the ground.

The practice was over.

Al looked over at Rose and Scorpius and waved, smiling and gesturing to the changing room before pointing back at them. He wanted to meet them down there after he changed so they could walk back up together.

Rose smiled back and nodded; standing she stretched her hands over her head, breaking the heat bubble around them with a thought and causing the cold air to hit her. She shivered, rubbing her gloved hands together.

The team marched across the field, laughing and shoving each other despite their lack of coordination in the air. Rose found herself longing for that, the brotherly manner and the closeness that they had all had. They had been a family. There was nothing better than to fly alongside your teammates and fight to win. The thrill one gets from it is indescribable.

She missed it. A lot.

Sighing, Rose looked down at the boy still sitting beside her. To her surprise and bewilderment, he hadn't moved, not even when the temperature dropped from the bubble popping.

Rose tilted her head. What was wrong with him?

She stepped over to the blonde, positive that her closeness would alert his brain to his surroundings; standing just by his side he still didn't move. Thinking he had frozen to death in the cold or had gone deaf and blind, Rose reached out and tapped him hard on the shoulder.

This jolted him awake. His startled eyes flew up to hers and she looked at him quizzically. His heartbeat was loud in her mind, and his eyes held a condemned sheen to them like she had just caught him doing something bad.

And was he blushing?

"Practice is over."

"Oh umm yeah right... Let me just grab my stuff." His eyes dropped and he scrambled to grab his bookbag and scarf. "Alright, sorry, we can go now."

No. She was not going to let this go anymore. He had zoned out too many times in this last week, and this time he looked so guilty that she had enough. Something was going on and she was going to find out what.

"Scorpius." Her hand gripped his bicep, stopping him in his tracks. "You zoned out again."

He shook his head, his confused expression turning into a sheepish grin, but Rose noticed the unease tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah I know, sorry I was just thinking."

He was nervous, his eyes not holding hers for longer than a few seconds. He was hiding something: and Rose had the sneaking suspicion that it had to do with her.

"Let's start heading down, Al will be waiting soon."

He moved to slide by her, taking a step to pass between where she stood and the next row of bleachers. He moved in very close as he did and Rose took a breath, startled.

He stopped.

He was pressed against her, so close Rose could see every eyelash surrounding those blue-grey eyes. His breath picked up, and his eyes dilated. He was looking at her so intently that she felt held in place by his gaze. His eyes held that look again, like the one in the dress shop, all those weeks ago, like he was trying to memorize every inch of her face.

Rose's heartbeat did a tap dance in her chest. Even with all their talk about being friends first, she couldn't ignore the gnawing need to be closer to him. Closer than a friend should be; at that moment she wanted to be more than a friend. Because he was there so close, so warm and strong and he was staring at her with those intoxicating eyes.

He was leaning in, his face coming closer, his warm breath tickled her cold nose. She found herself leaning in too, her eyes fluttering closed, she felt his hand so soft and fleeting touch her side, like he wanted to pull her even closer. They were a breath away, their hearts beating as one. Every inch of her body that touched his buzzed with an odd but thrilling electricity. Her eyes shut completely and their lips were a breath away from touching.

Then a voice called out from the stairs.

"Hey you guys coming?"

Albus Potter stood on the stairs, his eyes narrowed at them. Rose knew he had seen what was happening, and he didn't look happy about it. Malfoy had backed away from her and Al was glaring at him. Rose turned her attention to her book bag to avoid his wrath.

She didn't know what would have happened if Albus hadn't yelled. Her cheeks flamed and she felt hot all over. Rose Weasley had been about to kiss the hottest guy in school. No matter that they were bonded, if her friends heard about this there would be screaming and shrieking and giggling for days.

Rose took a breath, determined to just ignore what had happened. Then she caught Malfoy's eyes and she felt something painful in her chest. Something that wasn't the Bond.

He looked so guilty.

Scorpius ran a hand through his hair, "yeah sorry mate. Just grabbing the rest of our stuff."

He leaned away from her as if to put as much distance between them as possible and turned to walk towards Al. Rose felt the urge to reach out for his arm.

So she did.

He stopped and looked back at her uncertainly, making his feelings clear for her to see.

He had been about to kiss her, had wanted to kiss her, and now he felt awful about it. Because they had just gotten to the point where they were good with each other. She had emphasized that they were just friends and he had crossed the line. Suddenly his thoughts were tumbling around in Rose's head at a thousand miles per hour. He feared she would be mad, upset that he had almost tried to do something Rose had told him she wasn't ready for. He was afraid that he had just ruined any progress they had made.

He was afraid of what she was feeling.

Rose wasn't sure what she felt really, things were still all so new and odd but she felt warm and not particularly mad at the fact that he had tried to kiss her. Yes, she knew that they weren't ready for something more then they had, but she still felt that electric buzz going through her body and didn't feel particularly like being angry at the moment.

She sent those thoughts to him. Letting them flow between them.

"Come on," Rose said, looping her arm through his, "let's get inside, I've been craving some hot cocoa for the past hour and I'm freezing."

Scorpius relaxed slightly, his eyes calming and his thoughts slowing. "Sounds good to me."

As the three trudged up the hill to the castle that held warmth, hot drinks and food, Rose couldn't help but smile when Malfoy's mind didn't push her out again.

Things were looking up, and Rose had every intention to ride it to the top.


	13. Chapter 13

*** _Runs in, drops off_ a _chapter, dashes out with a wink. ;p_**

 **Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 13**

 **December 10th Continuation**

 **Tuesday**

 **~oOo~**

 **Albus Potter's POV**

"James! Fred! Wait up!"

The two seventh years stopped and turned to look back as Albus came jogging up behind them. He was still tired from practice and was not in the mood to be running around the entire castle looking for his relatives, but he had lost track of James and Fred after practice and finding them was crucial.

"Where's the fire?" Fred asked as Albus came to a stop in front of them, panting hard.

"Currently walking hand in hand up the stairs," Albus muttered darkly.

"What?"

Albus shook his head, "Nevermind. I need to ask you something."

Fred grinned, looking far too pleased, "It's gonna cost ya. This masterpiece of a mind doesn't give out knowledge for free." Albus rolled his eyes. "What do you need? Prank ideas? Clothing advice?" Fred looked him over, "Scratch that; A whole makeover." Albus scowled, "Girl advice?"

Albus blushed. They knew about Abby and teased him about it every chance they got.

"Still pinning after that Finn girl are you?" Fred's grin widened.

"No, and that's not what I was talking about." Albus shot back before Fred got any of his brilliant ideas, "I need you guys to call a meeting."

James crossed his arms over his chest. "Why? You know today is busy for the group. We all had Quidditch practice, duelling club is tonight, and most of us had back to back classes today. What's so important that we need a meeting now?"

Albus sighed irritably. It was too much to explain off the bat but he just knew that he had to call this meeting and tell everyone what had happened.

"Listen," he said, "Something has happened and I need you to call a meeting."

James shrugged, "You're not telling me why so I can't help you, Al. Everyone's busy, we can't just call meetings for no good reason."

"It's about Rose."

That was all it took, Fred's hand disappeared into his pocket and out came the calling coin.

He handed it to Albus.

As the coin was placed in Albus's palm it glowed warm and bright, it's rough gold edges looking softer in the light. The gold was heavy and uneven, having been through years of hell in Fred's back pocket and bookbag; this being said it still worked perfectly.

With his wand in hand, Albus pressed the tip to the coin and wrote out what he needed to. Three words glowed white in the middle, written out in Albus's neat and compact handwriting. Short and simple just how he liked it.

 _Meeting now. Al._

Around the edge of the coin numbers going from one to ten lit up white like the middle; Al tapped his wand to number three and the light faded from it, leaving the rest glowing brightly.

Albus felt his pocket heat up as his own coin warmed to alert him to the meeting. Two seconds later the coin was cold and dull again in his palm, looking very much like a normal galleon but a bit bigger.

"Thanks," Albus said, handing back the master coin to Fred, who slipped it into his pocket.

Fred nodded, no longer smiling. "Anything for Rosy."

 **~oOo~**

 **Still Ablus POV**

The hall was quiet. Being in the far back of the castle, surrounded by abandoned classrooms like it was, no one ever came down here. Not even the night patrol.

Albus, James, and Fred walked down the corridor, their feet knowing the well-worn path. The doors they passed were all marked. Classroom 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. Ablus counted them out in his head as they went, before coming to a stop at the very end of the hall. The three stood in front of a statue, grey and worn with age, it was of a woman.

Albus supposed that she had once been beautiful, if he looked hard enough he could see it, her regal features, her slim and perfect body, her hair long and rich, but now that was all gone. The statute had slowly been flecked away, people touching the stone, dust, water, air. All this had slowly turned the once gorgeous work of art into a barely recognizable human.

He barely looked at her though as he moved to slip behind her, having seen this figure for far too long to linger now.

It was a tight fit behind the statue with all three of them but they managed. Behind the woman seemed to be nothing but a stone wall, it's surface rough and hard to the touch. However, if one were to look closely they would see a fine line, barely visible, running from the floor to just above Albus's head, across, and back down again. Essentially making a door out of the stone.

This was one of Albus's favourite places. A place formed for one purpose. So a rowdy group of friends could meet and plan mayhem. A group that was widely known throughout the castle.

 _The Gremlins._

Albus raised his hand and tapped on a slightly more worn part of the wall, making an odd hollow sound emit. A moment passed then a small slice of the stone near the top of the door pulled away and a pair of brown eyes greeted him.

"Password," came the voice.

"T.L 1998," The year their founder, Teddy Lupin was born.

The stone panel was pushed back in and a moment later the sound of a bolt was heard before the door was opened.

It was like stepping into a different world.

The room glowed in bright light, a sharp contrast to the darkness of the hall. The hidden tunnel had been changed completely from its original state. During the Battle of Hogwarts, this tunnel had collapsed and had never been fixed. Years later Teddy and his mates had put it upon themselves to transform the collapsed tunnel into a meeting room for their new group.

After months of work, they had managed to spell away the dirt and rubble, secure the ceiling and walls so they would not collapse again and make the room livable and comfortable. Shelves lined two out of four of the semi-square walls, giving ample space to store things. The third wall had desks lining it with tools neatly tacked up above them, though there were still quite a few lying around on top of the surfaces. The fourth wall was the front of the room, it was covered mostly with a large blackboard, and on either side, there were whiteboards on stands. The floor around it was raised about an inch off the ground, causing it to be a platform.

Chairs, bean bags, stools, couches and a coffee table or two littered the space in the middle of the room. As well as about half a dozen people.

Above this all, mounted on the wall directly opposite the door so one couldn't help but see it when walking in, was a sign.

The Gremlins it read in big red letters, and below that was a family tree of sorts. It had pictures of all the Gremlins before them, their name, birthday, and signature below there faces. Albus glanced briefly at his face before looking down again.

Augustine Bell closed the door after Albus, James and Fred stepped in, his green and silver Quidditch uniform making him look like a guard as he stood straight and still at his post; his job was to guard the door and make sure no one got in who wasn't supposed to. There had been an incident a couple of years back concerning a non-member and polyjuice, but that story was for another time.

Albus scanned the room, taking note of who was present and who had yet to show up.

Al spotted Lily near the back of the room in her usual seat on the beige couch with Eva Gray a third year Hufflepuff next to her. Katy Bagshot a fifth year Hufflepuff sat on one of the workbench stools, talking with Annabel Mattews a fifth-year Slytherin.

Almost everyone normal was present, except for Will Clark a seventh year Ravenclaw and Scorpius.

"Alright now we're just waiting on Will and Scor," Katy announced, leaning back against the workbench and taking a swig of her butterbeer.

"Scorpius isn't coming," Al stated simply as he walked across the room to grab a butterbeer for himself.

Annabell frowned at him as he walked up beside her to grab a drink, blowing her honey coloured bangs out of her eyes, "Why isn't Scorpius coming?"

Al popped the cap off his drink and took a long swig. The liquid made him warm the instant he swallowed. He fixed his gaze on the large window pointing to the back side of Hogwarts castle, instead of on her face. "Because I didn't tell him there was a meeting."

Katy gave out a little huff, her dark brown eyes boring a hole into Al's head. That girl had never liked him, the two always butting heads. "Well, why not? You called the meeting, you needed to tell everyone." She sighed dramatically. "We're going to have to go get him now."

"I'll go!" Eva pipped in, Albus almost rolled his eyes as her enthusiasm.

"There's no need," he said, scanning the room and its occupants. "I didn't invite him on purpose."

"What? Why?" James, who had taken up residence on one of the many bean bags, sat forward and stared in confusion at his brother. "Are you guys fighting again?"

Albus scowled at him and took another swig of his drink, "Yes and no."

Before he could explain there was a knock at the door and Augustine moved to get it. A moment later Will Clark was walking into the room. He was breathing hard, looking like he had run all the way there from the Ravenclaw tower.

"Sorry, I'm late." He panted, grinning and placing his hands on his hips while he breathed deeply. "Got hit by the end of day crowd."

Will was an unusual one. He had been a close friend to the Potter boys since they were little, but Albus had yet to fully understand him. He was a mess of contradictions. He was the first person to point out the risks to every prank and then be the first volunteer in the hair-brained mischief. He would have the most care-free easy-going personality and then turn around and call you to task with his voice of reason. Even his appearance was a contradiction; strong chiselled jaw with pretty-boy long blonde curly hair. Stern mature posture and childlike playful blue eyes. Will, the walking contradiction, one never could be sure with that boy.

Albus waved his hand in a dismissing manner at his friend, "it's fine, you're here now." Will nodded and moved to grab a drink from the cooler.

"Alright," Fred said leaning forward, "you said this had something to do with Rose. Spill."

The look on everyone's faces were ones of confusion. Albus was surprised. It was not like this was the first meeting called about Rose. There had been many meetings where the group had planned to separate her from all the unsuitable idiots at Hogwarts. This shouldn't be confusing, even if the idiot this time was Scorpius.

"What?" Annabel asked.

Albus held his hands up for silence. He looked over at James and Fred. "Can I take to the floor?"

James gestured with his hand, inviting him to step up onto the raised floor that James or Fred usually used to explain their plans.

Albus stood on the platform, took a deep breath, then began to explain what he had seen. He explained how he had found them after practice leaning in too close as if they were about to kiss. How he had yelled and they had guiltily separated. How Scorpius had escorted Rose back to the castle on his arm and that they had even held hands as they walked up the stairs. Al then went on to explain about how Scorpius had been fixed on Rose so much in the last week that he was barely listening to a word Al said anymore. Scorpius was becoming rapidly more captivated by her. Too captivated.

"I think they're becoming more than friends now," Albus continued, "That's why I asked you guys here. We need to come up with a plan to convince Rose to...umm... not get into a relationship with Scorpius right now."

It was dead quiet. All eyes fixed on Albus. Then...

"And why would we do that?" Annabel asked.

Albus looked at her like she was crazy. "Because he was trying to bloody kiss her!"

Katy sighed, "Yes, he was about to kiss her and you had to bloody well interrupt. You, Albus Potter," she waved a finger at him, "have to be the thickest headed idiot I have ever met."

Albus opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to speak.

"I just have a question," Lily said, looking at her brother, her short bob of hair falling into her eyes."Why would we try and convince Rose not to date Scorpius? If that's what she wants then we should leave them alone."

These girls were making Albus's head hurt, he didn't get how they could not understand.

"Because I know Rose," he said finally, making Lily look offended. "I'm not saying you don't know her too lils, what I'm saying is that she's not ready for a relationship with anyone. Plus I doubt if it's really even them, I think it's the Bond, messing with their heads and making them think they want to... well." His face burned red, "You know kiss and stuff."

Annabel scoffed, "Albus you don't know crap about the Bond. Yes, it is having a huge impact on the way they feel but not in the way you think. It's only heightening the feelings that were already there, making things that before seemed small and insignificant seem big and impossible to ignore. It's not making Rose feel anything other than the need to be closer to Scorpius-oh stop being such a prude Albus- anyway, she isn't being forced to do anything that she doesn't truly want, deep down. So if they were going to kiss, then they both wanted to."

"And when did you become an expert on Soul Bonding?" Augustine drawled from his place draped over the couch. Annabel rolled her eyes, "because I can read you bloody twit. Some people actually spend time in libraries researching instead of bribing Ravenclaws to do it for them." The rest of the group snickered while Ausustine scowled.

"Alright but this doesn't change the fact that he was going to kiss her," Fred said, speaking up for the first time.

"Yeah I think we need to go have a talk with blondie and make sure he knows that Rose is off limits," James chimed in. There were a few murmurs of agreement around the group.

"Well, I for one think it's romantic," Eva said, looking around calmly at all their incredulous faces. "What," she asked, "That boy has had the hots for Rose for years."

Albus looked like she had slapped him. "What?!" he squeaked out, seeming to have momentarily lost his ability to speak normally. This conversation was not going the way he expected.

"Oh come on," Katy said, looking around at the gobsmacked boys,"Surely you all noticed him drooling all over that girl. I thought it was bloody obvious."

"I suppose not," Annabel said, smirking. "It took Albus seeing them making out to get it through his head."

"They were not making out!"

"Oh, my goodness, Ro almost made out with Scorpius Malfoy," Katy, squealed, Ignoring Albus's comment completely. The information seeming to have only sunk in now. The girls in the room all started giggling at this and soon they were full out laughing.

"This isn't funny!" Albus said fiercely, looking around at all of them, "Annebell why are you agreeing with them? You were always ready to help keep Rose away from other guys! Why don't you care now?"

The girl, still smiling, shook her head at the raven-haired boy. "Al, I was more than happy to help you keep Rose from dating those shit bags but Scorpius is a good guy. If there is anyone that should be seeing that girl it's him. He can handle her craziness and she can take his impulsive antics. They're good together AND," she looked pointedly at him, "they're Bonded. They're already technically married so him kissing her is hardly a thing to get so worked up about."

"What?" Everyone in the room suddenly fell silent, looked thoroughly stunned and bewildered at this last thing. Albus spluttered. "What do you mean they're married?"

She looked around the room and saw that they all had no clue what she had meant. "My dad works for the Wizengamot as a keeper of the law. When I wrote to him about Scorpius and Rose, he told me all the laws the government has about Bonded couples. For many years the Ministry did not have a good way to categorize Soul Bonded couples. They were not family related by blood and they were not legal adults. Then one time a Soul Bonded couple got into a life-threatening situation, the girl was dying and needed immediate magical surgery to heal her or else he would die instead. Well, since they were technically underage he could not sign the consent for the procedure. He ended up dying because her parents arrived too late. So now all Soul Bonded couples are considered legally emancipated from their parents and have a common-law marriage. They still have the underage trace on them for security reasons, but besides that they are legal adults and married according to the Ministry."

James scrubbed a hand down his face, looking stunned. "Rosy. Married." He snorted, "What a terrifying thought." Will hit his arm.

"They can't be though!" Albus protested, "She would have told me if they were married."

"It's a common-law marriage, not a wedding ceremony marriage. There's a difference."

The group looked non plused. Annebell slumped over onto the couch, giving up on explaining.

"Well, I suppose that settles it." Will said.

James narrowed his eyes at him, "How so?"

Will sighed and shook his head, smirking at him, "James you heard Annie over there. They aren't being pushed to do anything they don't really want. They're married and they're Bonded. Sounds to me that our services aren't needed."

James scowled. " _Clark_ , are you saying that we should just leave her and him alone?" Will rolled his eyes at the sound of his last name.

"Yes," Will said, "that is exactly what I'm saying, _Potter._ " He put extra emphasis on the boy's last name as James had done to him. "I figure after all Rose and Scorpius have gone through that they deserve a little time to just be normal. I'm no expert but I think they need that."

Fred scowled along with James. "Dammit," he cursed, "why do you all have to make so much sense?"

Albus looked on as his last standing allies backed down, leaving him alone and on the losing side. "So none of you will help?"

"Al," Annabel said gently, "I know how protective over Rose you are, but I think it's time you back off a little. They are together now. Maybe not as a couple quite yet but I think it's bound to happen. You need to come to terms with that before it does. They can take care of themselves now."

Albus wouldn't hear it, he shook his head vehemently. "No," he said, "she's not ready for that type of thing, she'll only get hurt."

Fred snorted, "It's not like you're the one to give dating advice Al."

That pushed Albus over the edge. Abby was a sore subject for him and Fred knew it. It was one thing to say something like that in an empty corridor but in front of all of the Gremlins was a step too far. Albus felt the anger spark in him. He had come here for help and had only gotten told off and chastised, his fears and concerns shrugged off. It aggravated him more than normal because this was Rose and no one seemed to care.

Fred seemed to realize his mistake too late. "Al-" He started but Albus cut him off.

"No," He said, shaking his head, his voice tight, "Rose isn't ready. And maybe I'm not the best person to be saying this but I am the only one. So if no one is going to help me I'll have to go on my own." He looked around the room and seeing no one eager to help, he snorted. "Fine. You guys can go, there's nothing else."

He couldn't explain why but he just knew he was right, Rose wasn't ready for this. Albus had made a promise to himself long ago to never let anything happen to her. He had already failed once, letting Rose get worse and worse like that, he wouldn't fail again. Rose was his sister, he loved her like no other, they had been best friends since they were in nappies, inseparable. He couldn't and wouldn't let anyone hurt her. Not even Scorpius. Albus trusted his friend. He did. But not with this, not with Rosy's heart.

He stormed off the podium. "Al come on!" Annabel yelled after him but he didn't stop.

Once outside of the meeting room, Albus had a moment to think while he fast walked back. It didn't take him long to figure out what to do. His plan set in his mind, Albus made a beeline for Gryffindor tower. He had a few girls he needed to talk to.


	14. Chapter 14

_**'Sprints in, drops off a very very late chapter, runs away before you can throw stuff' ;)**_

 **I want to give a BIG thank you to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 14**

 **December 10-11**

 **Tuesday-Wednesday**

 **~oOo~**

 **The Girls**

"Mar, what do you think of this one? I like the elegant look and I think it would go well with my dress." Grace held up her magazine and pointed to a hairstyle.

Mary finished pinning a piece of Grace's long brown hair back. She then leant down placing her chin on the girl's shoulder to look at the hairstyle. It was simple, a twisted bun with romantic curls framing the girl's face and small jewels pinned in places.

"Not bad. I think I would change it a little, pull it out more here," she pointed to the picture. "Add a braid here and maybe take a little less out at the front."

Grace nodded happily and scribbled down the page number in her notebook as an option. "You think I'll look good in it?"

Elizabeth, who had just finished wiping her makeup off and was now going through her nightly routine, poked her head out from around the bathroom door and smiled cheekily, "Gracy you look amazing in anything. But no matter what you do your poor date isn't going to be able to keep his eyes off you."

Grace flushed, "Sam's not my date. We are just friends. He only asked me because neither of us is in a relationship."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, smirking cheekily, "Sure you're not in a relationship. It's not like the two of you hide out together in the library all the time. In the back corner. Alone."

"Because we are studying!" Grace interrupted indignantly.

"Maybe if he wasn't such a Ravenclaw he would put his book down and ask you out already," Mary stated while braiding Grace's long hair back, "or better yet why don't you ask him? Then it would really be a date."

Lizzy winked and made kissy sounds along with a few more obscene noises thrown into the mix.

Grace gasped in outrage and grabbed the nearest thing to her, which happened to be a pillow and tossed it at Lizzy, who shrieked with laughter and ducked.

Mary let out a cry of indignity when the sudden movement ruined a good part of her hard work.

And suddenly all three girls were running around yelling and shrieking with laughter. Pillows flew, bed sheets and blankets were dishevelled, and books were knocked over. The girls ran about, hitting each other with pillows, scrambling over furniture, and generally making a joyous mess.

Soon they were all out of energy and they collapsed on the pile of blankets and pillows in the middle of the room. They were still giggling, their faces flushed and their hair a wild tangle as they gazed up at the dark ceiling.

They didn't mind though, it was moments like these, ones that were just carefree and happy that made Hogwarts the home that it had become to the girls. A place where they could all just be together and be content. It's what had brought them together and in the end, what would hold them together.

But then the smiles faded and they were all quiet, their minds drifting to the same sad withdrawn thought.

"I miss her," Lizzy's voice was quiet in the stillness and the girls felt the weight and sadness in her voice like it was their own. Because it was, they all felt it, the emptiness Rose's absence in their lives had left.

They still saw her, still talked to her, still laughed with her, but it was all different now. No longer was she in on everything that had happened to the girls over the weeks, inside jokes were something Rose wasn't really a part of anymore. She was missing the parts of their lives that had been some of the best before. None of the girls were angry at Rose for the lack of time spent with them, but that didn't make it any less painful to see one of your dearest friends slowly drift away.

Grace turned her head to look over at the bed that had once been Rose's. It stood untouched, none of the girls had disturbed it since Rose had moved out. It lay just like she had left it that morning before it all happened. The sheet and covers neatly made, the pillow just right. The drapes pulled back into the nice sweep that Rose always liked. Her side table still had that frame on it, a picture of them years ago. They were all standing in the snow, the first snow day they had had at Hogwarts in their first year. They all had their arms around each other, their noses pink from the cold, their smiles big and goofy from behind their scarfs.

They had been happy.

"I know." Grace said softly, turning to look back up at the ceiling, "I do too."

The girls were abruptly snapped out of their melancholy thoughts though when the sound of the dorm door creaked open. The girls, all sitting up and grabbing their pillows stared wide-eyed at the newcomers.

Ashley sighed as she saw the mess the girls had made. " I can't leave you guys alone for two seconds can I?"

Lizzy moved to get off the floor, helping pull the other girls up as well but keeping her eyes trained on the doorway and the visitor. "Ash, what is Al doing here?"

Ashley shrugged, walked over to her bed, and flopped down onto it, grumbling at the rumpled sheets and blanket. "Dunno, found him walking down the hall. He was trying to find our dorm, or so he says. Figured he had gotten this far, no harm in bringing him here. No clue what he's up to though."

"I'm not up to anything," Albus said, stepping into the room, "I'm here to talk."

"How'd you even get up here though?" Mary asked, staring in confusion at the boy.

Albus smirked at her with the slightest hint of amusement, "I got my ways Mar." His amusement faded into distress, "but that's beside the point. I'm here because of Rose."

And just like that all the girls were in front of him, their face painted with worry pillows clutched to their chest and all talking at once.

"What?"

"Is she alright?"

"Has something happened to her again?"

"She's in the hospital, isn't she?"

"We have to get there right away!"

They all started forward as if to dash from the room and to Rose that very instant.

"Shut up!" yelled Albus, already frustrated from having to explain himself to many times that night, "She's not at the hospital. It's nothing like that. I need your help breaking up Scorpius and Rose. The Gremlins won't help me. But you girls know Rose. You know this isn't right for her. Will you help me?"

Everyone stared at Al in shock. No one knew what to say. It was a full minute before Mary got up to speak, "Ok Al. Let's talk about this. Privately." In a move, she had his arm in hand and was dragging him towards her bed. She had him sit on her mattress, drew the curtains around them, and mumbled a privacy charm, silencing the girl's voices outside, "Alright, spill."

Al once again laid out the story, telling everything that had happened for what felt like the millionth time. When he was about finished, Mary held up her hand to stop him.

"Okay, let me get this straight. My Rosey, my sweet somewhat shy Rosey tried to kiss Malfoy?" She was teasing, gauging his mood before she got serious.

Albus scowled, "Well I don't know who tried to kiss who but... yes that's the gist of it."

"I see..." Mary clasped her hand in front of her and looked seriously down at them. "You do know what this means right?" Mary lifted her gaze and met his eyes. Before he had time to reply Mary's face had suddenly split into a grin, her eyes lighting up and her hands rubbed together with glee, "I taught her right! That's my girl! Going after the hottest hunk in the school! I'm like a proud mama." She sighed happily and grinned like an idiot.

Albus groaned in frustration. He was just about fed up with females and their unwillingness to understand. "No." He said through clenched teeth. "It's not amazing or awesome, it's horrible. Rose isn't ready for this and she is only going to hurt herself and Scorpius. So please stop acting like this is a wonderful fairytale come true and help me stop them."

Mary huffed and glared at Albus. "Fine, I'll stop swooning- "

"Thank you."

"-but I won't break those two apart."

"What?! But I came to you for help, I thought you of all people would sympathize with me on this?"

Mary shook her head at the irate boy in front of her. He may be cute but he needed help in the brains department. "Albus Potter, do you think Rose wants your help?"

Albus was taken aback. He stared at her in confusion. "I-I- How am I suppose to know?!"

"Look," Mary leaned forward, "I've talked about this with Rose before. She really does not want your help scaring away boys who try to date her. She understands you are trying to protect her, but she wants to figure this stuff out on her own. Rose doesn't want you to be her parent or her big brother. She wants you to be her friend and support her and her decisions." Mary's smile was soft and warm, trying to calm Albus down so he could understand.

"Rose is a big girl now. She's not eleven anymore. She doesn't need someone holding her hand. She's dating now, granted not in a normal way, but that's what this is now. And aren't you happy it's with Scorpius? Your best friend? You know him better than anyone here and you trust him completely. Isn't that a good thing? And why are you so scared that Rose is going to end up hurt anyway?"

Albus wouldn't meet her eyes. He started fiddling with a blanket, his black hair almost covering his eyes, "I don't know. I just don't think she's ready for a relationship yet."

Mary tried to catch Al's eye, "Could it be that this fear is more about yourself than it is about Rose? You fear that you would end up hurt if you got into a relationship?"

Al made no reply. He continued to fiddle with the blanket on the bed.

She sighed, "At the end of the day Albus I think this is something you need to talk to Rose about. It's not right doing this all behind her back. Talk to Rose and you'll see it will all be okay."

Albus let out a deep sigh, lifting his head, "I'll think about it," Then he was moving off the bed his hand reaching to pull the curtains aside. He looked back before he did though. "You sure you won't help?" A pillow to the face was his answer. He chuckled, "Can't fault a guy for trying."

The minute he left the room all the girls turned to look at Mary, eyes wide and questioning.

Mary grinned, "You are not going to believe what Al just told me!"

 **~oOo~**

 **Rose POV**

The moon hung low in the sky. Its light cast dim long shadows across the room. Rose lay in bed, her form still and small, her eyes trained on the sleeping figure next to her.

Scorpius lay sprawled out, his chest rising and falling in deep steady breaths. His lips were parted slightly in sleep, the light stubble that ran over his jaw almost transparent in the moonlight. Rose closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the sound of his steady breathing. This was something she did often now when she couldn't sleep or was troubled. she would just close her eyes, breathe, and listen.

And there it was in the back of her mind. _Thump. Thump. Thump._ His heartbeat, his breathing. It was a comforting thing to her now, knowing that he was always there, that he was always alright.

Rose hadn't been able to sleep well after getting out of the hospital. The darkness when she closed her eyes still frightened her enough to keep her awake. The only thing that had helped, that had comforted her, was Scorpius.

She tried not to think about why it was comforting as she pushed herself closer to his sleeping figure. All she knew was that it was and that she didn't mind it as much as she thought.

His face was peaceful as he slept, his features so much calmer than when he was awake. It made her calm too. He was so untroubled like this, like not even his dreams could bother him.

She felt a small smile tug at her lips. His hair was in disarray and it fell all over his eyes in small wisps of white blonde. Just like it had that day out by the pitch. His nose wasn't pink from the cold, his lips weren't red from him worrying at them with his teeth but he still somehow looked... what? Handsome? Dashing?

Then it came to her. He looked beautiful. She snorted slightly when she imagined the face he would make if he heard that description of himself, but it was true. Scorpius Malfoy was beautiful. Not in a feminine way but in a striking, breath-taking way. And it wasn't just his features that were beautiful, but it was him, who he was as a person. It was the way he smiled at everything, the way he made people laugh. It was him taking some first years out to the pitch and playing Quidditch with them. It was him sticking up for people who were being teased. It was the way he listened like he actually cared about what you were saying. It was him helping her Grandmother with cookies during the holidays. It was him telling stories to her little cousins by the fire. It was him holding her hand while she lay there on that hospital bed, the way he had held her so close when she had woken up. It was every little thing he did for others without thoughts of himself.

' _He needs a haircut._ ' She thought idly, her hand reaching out to gently push the blonde locks away. She found herself wondering what she was doing, playing with his hair like they were a couple or something. It wasn't something she should be doing, something that would only confuse Scorpius if he were to wake up. She was crossing a line and she knew it. Maybe it was the late hour or the fact that Rose just didn't give a damn at that moment, but she just let her hand continue to play with the soft piece of his hair.

 _'And anyway, he did try to kiss me. If he gets to pull stuff like that, I can at least play with his hair a little.'_

That's what she told herself as she moved closer. It's what she told herself when she nuzzled her face into the side of his neck, sighing as her body came to rest pressed against his.

It felt so right.

He was warm and strong, a comforting presence beside her. She had never realized how nice it was to sleep next to someone. To have their soft breathing rock you to sleep, to have their comforting smell, always the same fill your senses in the most soothing of ways.

To have a hand gently run up and down your arm in lazy calming circles.

She was too far gone in her thoughts and her slow descent into sleep that she didn't realize that the hand running along her arm meant that she had woken him. Or that she had been caught snuggling up to him in the middle of the night. Or that Scorpius Malfoy had the faintest of smiles pulling that stupidly handsome, sleep ridden face.

 **~oOo~**

 **James POV**

 **The next morning**

The morning light cast shadows across his form. Will Clark's blonde hair fell across his forehead, his bare chest rose and fell in slow deep breaths and his rosy lips were parted just the slightest bit. The sheets that were tangled among his limbs did little to disguise his lack of clothing and the faint outline of his body could be seen easily. He looked like a prince laying there. Regal and elegant even in sleep.

James Potter, sleep ridden, tousle-haired, stood leaning against the wall. Dressed in nothing but a pair of pants, his eyes twinkled with more thought than normal as he gazed on, his arms crossed over his bare chest.

Last night had been one of the best nights of his life. A smile played across his lips at just the thought of it. Of him. Will Clark. But he was also troubled.

Yesterday, after the meeting with the Gremlins was finished and Albus had stomped off, James had slipped a small piece of paper into Will's hand while passing him.

He had meant to give it to him at dinner but now was better. The note said simply,

 _Room of Requirement. Midnight._

James had been leaning against the wall of the seventh-floor hall, the cloak of Invisibility slung over his shoulders when he had heard Will coming. He had smirked at the startled squeak that Will had uttered when he had pushed the hood of the cloak down.

"I really hate that thing," Will had murmured as he walked to James. "What are we doing up here anyway? What's wrong with the hideout?"

James had pushed off the wall and started pacing in front of the hidden Room of Requirement. "Katy and Eva were going to be working late on a few things there. Plus I wanted to do something a little different tonight."

When James had opened the door to the Room of Requirement and led Will, who had been instructed to close his eyes, inside he had not been prepared for what would happen when the Ravenclaw opened his eyes.

James had spent hours on the room, making it perfect for Will and what he liked, making it more comfortable than what they normally had. The room had been dim and warm, a cosy couch had set off to the side with a projector and screen for them to watch some of Will's favourite muggle movies on. His favourite food had sat on a cart, his favourite music had played lowly, and the sweet smell of vanilla drifted through the room.

Will had stood there for a minute, taking in the room and everything James had done, then he had turned and before James could register it Will had been kissing him.

James had smiled into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Will's neck and melting into his embrace.

They had stood like that, swaying to the music playing, kissing softly, slowly.

"Do you like it?" James had whispered against Will's lips.

Will had pulled back slightly, just enough to look at James but still keeping his arms tightly around the Gryffindor. "I love it." He had murmured, brushing his nose against James'. James had closed his eyes, loving the feel of Will's hand slowly brushing circles into the skin of his back. The feel of him so close. And then, "and I love you."

James' eyes had snapped open at that, and he had stared wide-eyed at the boy in front of him. _Had he just? Did he just?_

Will had chuckled at James' deer in the headlights expression and leaned down to press a soft kiss to his startled lips. "You don't need to say anything. You asked me to be honest so I'm just letting you knew where I'm at."

That had brought James back to reality, but his thoughts had still been all over the place.

 _'He loves me'_ was racing through James' mind. He had felt panic start to rise but then he had stopped. This wasn't something to think about now, he could ponder it later, right now he wanted nothing but to spend some time with Will.

He had attacked Will with his lips, kissing every part of skin he could find. Will had laughed at the onslaught of kisses and pulled James even closer. His hand had moved to gently cup James' face and then they were grinning at each other.

But that had all been a fantasy really, a night of recklessness, a night where anything could happen. That hadn't been a reality.

Looking over at the wall he saw that the clock was ticking closer and closer to the time that they would both have to leave. James sighed. He hated to wake Will, to break the bubble of fantasy and go back to reality.

But he knew he had to.

Walking over James sat on the edge of the bed. He reached a hand and brushed the hair from the other boys face, trailing his fingertips lower until he was cupping Will's face. James's smile returned as the boy stirred and he bent down, pressing his lips gently to Will's.

There was a little groan as James pulled away and he smirked when Will opened his blue eyes to stare sleepily up at him.

"Morning," His voice was low, a rumble through his chest and the lazy smile that pulled at those perfect lips made James melt all the more.

"Morning," James hummed, his hand dropping to run lightly over Will's stomach, tracing the faint outline of abs.

Will smirked at the tousled-haired boy in front of him. "I could get used to waking up like this."

James looked up into those blue eyes and smiled just a little, "I would like that."

Will pushed himself up on to his elbows, his smile growing. "Then let's make this a regular thing, we can meet here, spend the night and leave the next morning before anyone misses us. We can spend some time together without everyone around us." Will ran his hand along James' fingers, gently grasping them in his own.

James felt his smile fall as Will's words washed over him. He turned his face away and breathe deeply against the pain of what he needed to say. "Will you know I can't." He said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

Will lifted a hand and nudged James face, making him look into his blue eyes. "But you can James. No one will know, no one will even suspect it." Will pressed his forehead against James, closing his eyes. James sighed contentedly and wrapped a hand around the other boy's waist. "Please. I-I want to be able to look at you without worrying that everyone can see how much I want you. I want to be able to hold your hand, to touch your face, t-to-to kiss you and pull you closer in someplace that isn't a broom closet of an old classroom. I want to be with you without worrying."

"Last night was amazing, James. I want so much to do that again, to just sit and talk, to hold hands and cuddle on the couch and just enjoy each other's company. I want that. More than anything. I want you to be my boyfriend."

James felt his heart clench, because he wanted that too, so much. There was a lot he wanted when it came to Will Clark. He wanted to be able to be a couple with him. He wanted to be able to kiss him and hold his hand. He wanted to be able to say that Will was his, to stop the girls that flirted and batted their lashes at the Ravenclaw. He wanted to be able to take Will home, to introduce him to his family. He wanted to tell his mom about him, to talk to his dad about the boy he had met. He wanted a fairytale. He wanted fantasy.

And it was a fantasy because he knew he could never have it. Being gay in the Wizarding World was just as bad as being a Squib. It was not accepted. It was not allowed. Muggle culture was more accepting and that wasn't saying much. Back in the early days of the statue of secrecy, wizards and witches were few in numbers. Children of magical blood needed to be born. If you were gay and married another man, well, there were no children.

It was a stupid backwards old bitter prejudice, but it was still alive and well. James had watched kids be bullied and disowned, adults lose jobs and get hexed on the streets. People had gotten killed. If he came out as gay it would be social suicide. Not even being Harry Potter's son would save him from becoming an outcast.

James didn't want that. No matter how much he wanted Will, he didn't want that more.

And at that moment James realized that this had gone on for too long. This wasn't supposed to happen. He had never intended to feel anything for Will, to feel anything for any boy. He had promised himself that he would never let himself do that, to spare himself the pain of it all.

But somewhere along the line, the stolen kisses that were meant to mean nothing, the nights where they just wanted comfort had turned into something else. Something that James both longed for and recoiled from at the same time.

He had let himself care about someone he could never have. Not truly.

When had they crossed the line from people just letting off steam, to people who ached to be held by the other? When had James let his guard down, let Will into his heart? When had he betrayed all logic and sense?

Last night had been everything James had ever wanted. He had felt normal, felt like for once what he was doing wasn't forbidden. But now the sun was up and he couldn't hide in the shadows any longer.

"No Will." James pulled away. He moved off the bed, grabbing his shirt and robes from off the floor and pulling them on as he went, "I can't and you said you understood that. You said you wouldn't pressure me and yet you're bringing it up again."

"James-"

His step faltered. His name, spoken by those lips. The lips he had kissed, the ones that had whispered those words to him, those three deadly words. It hurt. So much.

He knew now that they needed to stop. He had been able to tell himself before that this had been nothing, that they were just letting off steam, that it didn't hurt when Will walked away from him.

And last night? Why had he let last night happen? Why hadn't he left when Will had told him that he loved him?

Because for once he hadn't given a damn about logic, hadn't cared about the consequences. He had been happy.

James scrubbed a hand down his face. You're a fool, he told himself. You're an idiot, you let yourself fall too far. Now how are you going to get back up?

"James," Will's hands were warm as they cupped his face. Tilting his head back to look him in the eyes, "I know that look, you're thinking too much, you're over analyzing everything. I'm sorry I said anything, I promise that I won't bring it up again, not if you don't want me to. Just please don't be mad, I didn't mean to upset you with it. I-I just didn't think for a minute."

James lifted his hands and pushed Will's arms down, trying to not see the hurt expression on his face. "That's the problem Will. We haven't been thinking." His voice sounded broken even to his ears.

"What? James what are you thinking in that head of yours."

James stepped away from the blonde boy, crossing his hands over his chest as though to shield himself from the pain, the ache, running through him. "This has gone on for too long. A stupid one night stand has turned into something it never should have."

"James-" Will stepped forward and James stepped back.

"This needs to end Will, the longer we go on the more it will hurt in the end. I mean why are we doing this to ourselves? The pain we're causing outweighs the rest. You can't stand there and tell me that this will work out or that we'll find a way to be together."

"Wha-End what? Where is this coming from? Did I do something? Why are you suddenly talking like this, like- like you want to end things? I'm sorry for what I said earlier James, I swear I won't bring it up again. Just take a breath and think about what you're saying."

"I am," James said sharply, lashing out, trying to ignore the pain. "I am thinking Will. I'm thinking this was all a mistake, that this never should have happened in the first place, our one night stand should have stayed at that, a one night stand. Yet here we are."

"James you can't say that. You can't tell me that you think last night was a mistake. Last night was amazing. Right?"

James turned away, his eyes prickling with tears, he roughly rubbed at them, cursing his lack of control. "Yes," He admitted weakly, "Last night was amazing." He was crying now, not able to stop the tears as they ran down his face, "It was magical and breath-taking. Every minute of it."

He could feel Will's hope behind him as he moved closer, it was almost palpable. "Then why are you doing this? Why are you saying these things?"

"Because last night was amazing." James breathed, "because every fibre of my being wants to do it again, and again. I want to be held in your arms, I want you to kiss my neck while we watch that stupid movie you love. I want to eat popcorn and talk and laugh and just be with you. I want to be your boyfriend."

"And that's a problem?"

James whirled around, eyes fierce. "Yes, it's a problem. Because you told me you loved me last night Will. You told me you loved me and then you kissed me and I realized I was falling for you. For your stupid smile, for your stupid why of always seeing the best in everything. Your kindness and gentleness. That little bit of hair that always falls across your forehead no matter what." James's fingers itched to reach up and touch that piece of hair but they stayed but his side, unmoving. "I fell for you without meaning too. I went too far. I should have ended this when I first realized that there was something more between us. But I didn't. I was foolish and let this go on. But I can't any longer." The tears fell hard and fast now, blurring his vision and clinging to his eyelashes. "It's over Will. I'm done."

He turned to go, his steps steady even despite his shaking hands. But then a hand was grabbing his wrist, stopping him. "Don't do this James. Please. I love you."

If only that were enough.

There were tears on Will's face too and James had the urge to wipe them away, to brush his thumb along his soft skin.

Will was his weakness, James supposed he had always known this, ever since that Ravenclaw boy had smiled at him so many years ago. It was his weakness for Will that had let this go on. That was what he told himself later though, that it was his weakness for Will that had made him do what he did.

James stepped closer and in a move his hand was in Will's hair and he was pulling the boy down and pushing himself up at the same time. Their lips meet in a desperate kiss, demanding and rough. Their tear-streaked cheeks brushing. Will's arms wrapped around James and pulled him close, so close that James knew he was trying to never let go.

He didn't know how long they stood there for, how long they kissed, all he knew was that somewhere in that time, the kiss turned soft. The roughness evaporated and the gentleness came in. Will's grip on James was still tight, but one of his hands came up to cup the back fo James head in a gentle caress.

Their lips moved against each other, slow and soft, seeking something, someway out of this mess.

Then James was pulling his head back, breaking the kiss. Will's blue eyes looked down at him and the sadness and hurt he saw there killed him. "Please."

Will's voice was broken, just like he was. There was a part of James that just wanted to hold him, to ease that pain. But a bigger part knew it wasn't his job anymore.

And then he was gone, like a whisper of wind, closing the door soundly behind him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Another chapter for you guys. Things are getting better!**

 **I want to give a BIG thank you to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 15**

 **December 14**

 **Saturday**

 **~oOo~**

"Just focus. Breathe. Concentrate on the energy you feel, I know it can be overwhelming but you need to try and channel all the power through your wand. Focus it into the spell I showed you. You can do this."

Rose took a breath, her hands shaking slightly. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to relax her limbs and concentrate solely on what she was doing. It wasn't easy, the hospital wing was quiet but when you are trying so hard to focus the smallest noises seem much louder.

Footsteps and breathing, murmured words and the rustle of clothes. It was all so distracting. Every tiny sound seemed amplified, like a drum beating in her ears.

Come on, Rose thought, you got this, just focus on something else.

She had meant to focus on her breathing or the feeling of her magic but that was not the thing her mind latched onto. To her surprise, her jumbled brain decided that the best thing to concentrate on was a heartbeat. And not her own.

Beat beat beat. Steady, Strong. Reassuring.

She decided to just take what she got and not analyze it. Not to focus on how much she had been relying on that heartbeat over the last few days. Instead, she focused on her task. Her breathing slowed, her heart rate evened out from its previous nervous patter, and her mind calmed its thoughts.

She could do this.

Her eyes flashed open, her hand extended and her feet found their proper footing. She knew how to do this, it was in her blood and flowed through her veins. This was who she was. A witch. And a damn good one at that.

 _"BOMBARDA MAXIMA"_ Rose thought silently and with a sharp twist of her wrist, she focused all her magic into the spell.

She watched wide-eyed as her spell blasted from her wand tip, shooting like a bolt of lightning through the air and hit the training dummy at the other end of the room square in the chest. With a BANG the dummy exploded and all that was left was stuffing floating down to land in a mess on the floor.

"Beautiful Rose," Healer Lynde said, lifting her pen to her clipboard and scribbling for a minute before looking back up. "Alright, that's all for you. Now that we have practiced with you both separately, I think its time we try it with you both."

Rose nodded, rolling her shoulders against the soreness lingering in the muscles. They had been going at this for hours. They had started out simple, Accioing things, levitating objects but slowly they had begun to increase the difficulty level, trying harder spells, larger distances, heavier objects. Until now they had started casting spells wordlessly, something Rose had never done before.

But this was all part of learning to use and control her new magical strength. Her magic was much more powerful now, just how powerful Rose hadn't known until today. When Healer Lynde had come into the Hospital wing and done their weekly exams, Rose had thought that it would be like all the weeks before. They would get their checkup, be asked questions about how things were going then they would leave. But today had been different, after looking them over Healer Lynde had announced that it was time to start using their magic more intensely.

After so long of being cautious when it came to casting harder spells, Rose had been taken aback. When asked why now the Healer had explained that their magical levels had stabilized at last.

"When first bonded," she had explained, "your magical energy fused with your partner's. This is a massive merge of power and takes time to settle. Your magical energies are both very different from each other, they had to have time to mix and solidify before they could be used. According to the tests taken today, your magical cores have finally stabilized, meaning it's time to start using it in order for you to smoothly learn to adapt and control this much power."

Which lead to the present, a present where a tired and slightly grumpy Rose Weasley stood in the middle of the hospital wing, test dummies lining the back wall and the ruins of their buddies littering a back corner.

"Madam Pomfrey we're ready now," Healer Lynde called and a moment later the door to the head nurses office opened and both she and Malfoy stepped out.

Rose released a breath she didn't know she had been holding at the sight of Malfoy. Gratefully Rose let down the mental barriers between them and felt Malfoy do the same.

Healer Lynde had had them block each other off as completely as possible and had then proceeded to put them in different rooms before beginning training. She wanted to get clear conclusions on their magical levels separately before seeing what they could do together.

Rose understood that. She knew that her power was greater when Malfoy was next to her and they were mentally open. But even with Malfoy as far away as he could be comfortably and even with their minds closed off to each other Rose's power was much greater then it had ever been. She was able to lift items without hardly a thought, she could cast most simple spells wordless just with a flick. It felt incredible what she was able to do now. It felt unreal.

But even though it felt natural, simplistic to cast most of the spells the Healer had presented to her, Rose was starting to feel the wear and tear of hours of magical training. Seeing Malfoy however, letting down her metal guard and having him move closer to her made the ache in her limbs lessen and the weariness lift.

 _"Hi,"_ Malfoy said as he walked over to her, a small smile pulling at his lips.

 _"Hi,"_ Rose said in return, pushing her curls from her face and allowing a small smile of her own to appear. He was beside her now, his form so close she could feel the warmth of his body next to hers. She closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds, relishing in the sensation before forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand.

"I know it has been a long hard day," Healer Lynde said, her smile warm and understanding, "but it's important that we get this data before your magic grows, so we have a solid foundation to build on."

Rose smiled, "We're fine Healer Lynde, we can take a bit target practice." The Healer nodded and then turned to Madam Pomfrey. The two started swapping data and discussing the results.

 _"How are you doing?"_ Malfoy's voice was a deep lull in her mind, calming and steady.

Rose cast her eyes to the left, looking past her curls to the boy next to her. There was that smile again, soft, almost like he was amused.

There was a time when Rose would have brushed off a question like that, looked away and walked past him.

 _"I'm fine, more tired than anything. Being extraordinary is quite tiresome after all."_ She replied, feeling a warmth spread through her at the little twinkle that sparked in his eyes at her answer.

Malfoy's hand brushed against hers as he shifted his weight. It was only the slightest of touches but even that was enough to shoot bolts of electricity up her arm.

Rose pointedly looked forward.

"Alright," Healer Lynde consulted her chart, "let's start with the basics. Scorpius will you please levitate this object. After he's done Rose will you please do the same."

Thus proceeded with another round of levitating and accioing objects and items. Spells got harder, objects heavier and after the intermediate level spells came the harder ones.

Rose and Malfoy did spells that they would only be doing near the end of the year, then they started doing spells they would be doing next year. Even after that, they kept going, performing spells only seasoned witches and wizards could have accomplished.

But something happened as they took their places for the next round of spells and fighting dummies. When the first dummy stepped forward, Malfoy looked over at Rose, their eyes met for a moment and it was like they just knew what to do.

They seemed to dance while casting, twisting and twirling, arms reaching and wands pointing. They performed like a well-oiled machine together. Like they had done this so many times before. It was like walking on flat ground, easy and sure. Rose didn't have to think or say anything as she moved to the left, the dummy they were fighting dogging that way as Malfoy fired off another spell, allowing Rose to hit it when it's shield was down. It really was like dancing. They waltzed and pirouetted as dummy after dummy stepped forward to fight and one by one they took them down, working together seamlessly. They knew each others moves before they even took a step. Rose's mind was calm, her only thoughts were that of the spells they needed to be using. As the last dummy fell Rose took a breath, her mind seeming to click out of gear, slowing to a stop.

"Alright alright, that's enough for now. Let's take a break and drink something. Give you two a chance to cool down." Rose and Malfoy were both breathing heavy, and neither was saying no to a break.

Healer Lynde flicked her wand and food and drink appeared on the side table of the nearest bed along with some dessert.

Rose's stomach grumbled hungrily at the sight.

The sun was high in the sky now, even though they had started early that morning. It was tiring and slow, but Rose couldn't help but grin. She took a seat on the bed and let out a little laugh. "That felt-"

"-Incredible." Malfoy finished, and Rose wasn't even annoyed by his interruption.

Her body buzzed and hummed, her nerves were electric but in a good way. She felt alive. Energetic. She felt powerful. Never before had she cast so many complex spells. It felt so good. It felt like a challenge while at the same time it was like second nature. It was thrilling and she loved it.

By the grin on Malfoy's face, Rose knew he was thinking the same thing. She didn't know that using magic could feel like this. So fulfilling.

Healer Lynde looked over at them and gestured. "You're both feeling it right? The rush of energy, power." The teens nodded and the Healer smiled. "That's the bond. You two have been working together to cast these spells, the bond is encouraging that behavior. Teamwork is one of the things it pushes. The more you work together to cast spells the stronger you'll get. Not only your magical ability but your bond will grow as well. Your souls will strengthen causing you both to have heightened senses and abilities."

Rose sat forward, reached out and grabbed one of the cups filled with pumpkin juice. "How come I never read about any of this in the Bonding books in the library? I mean that, what we just did, it was incredible. But I never found anything like that when reading."

Lynde chuckled. "That would be because those books only hold common knowledge. You won't find anything in there that isn't just the basic outline of what the Soul Bonding Curse is. The only reason I know so much is that as you know my mother was the head Healer on the last Soul Bonded couple. I still have her old journals."

Rose's eyes lit up. "Journals on Soul Bonding?"

Lynde nodded, "Yes, my mother was an avid journalist, kept record of everything. She must have had about three hundred journals, she started when she was eight, kept writing her whole life. Most of the later ones are full of her research into the Soul Bonding curse though, they have come in quite useful in helping explain in detail how this Curse functions."

Rose stared in awe. How could she have been so dense? Of course, Lynde's mother was the Healer on the last Soul Bonding Curse case. She had known this. Why had she never thought of the records the Healer might have kept? They were sure to be filled with useful and thoughtful information on this curse. If Rose could only read them, maybe she could better understand what was happening to her, maybe she could finally understand it all.

"Healer Lynde," Rose said tentatively, "Is there any way you could lend me those journals? I would love to read through them, to understand the Curse better."

The Healer, who had just picked up a sandwich from the tray, tilted her head slightly at the Rose, her gaze thoughtful. She didn't seem mad or insulted by the thought of letting Rose read through her mother's journals. Maybe there was a chance.

"I would have to think about it. There are some personal subjects in those journals besides just the Soul Bonding but... yes I don't think that would be a problem. As long as you promise to take care of them."

Rose beamed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Thank you thank you thank you! Of course, I would be exceptionally careful with them, no harm would come to them. Oh, thank you!"

Lynde laughed, a light sound, a happy one. "Of course Rose. I'll go through them and see if there is anything I don't want you to see about her personal life but as I remember there isn't much. If I find nothing I'll owl them to you and you can return them when you're done."

Rose felt like clapping but she restrained herself. The idea of understanding this Curse better was so exhilarating to her that she could barely contain herself. It was a chance to be a step ahead of the Curse.

"Wonderful, now she's going to be up at all hours of the night reading again. She just stopped doing that after the last series she finished." Malfoy stretched out beside Rose, laying down and putting his head right next to her leg.

She glared down at him. "I always read downstairs. I never kept you up."

Malfoy chuckled. "Weasley, do you know how many thoughts run around rampid in your mind when you read? I swear you think of every single twist and turn that could possibly happen in a book before the author even does. It's a little maddening when trying to sleep."

Rose just snorted, "You're just annoyed because your brain can't handle more than one thought at a time."

Malfoy smirked, "Maybe, but at least I'm not wasting my thought on sappy romance novels at three in the morning."

Rose gasped and shoved Malfoy hard, causing nothing to happen but for Malfoy's annoying laugher to echo through the room.

Though they didn't notice it Healer Lynde looked on smiling, glad to see her patients getting along better. "Okay," She said, hold up her hand, "Stop arguing and have something to eat before we have to get back to work."

Rose, still grumbling grabbed a triangle of sandwich from the tray and took a bite. Scorpius, on the other hand, shoved the entire triangle in his mouth at once, causing another outburst from Rose which just made the blonde laugh all over again.

Lynde just shook her head.

 **~oOo~**

 **Later**

Honeydukes candy wrappers littered the coffee table in the Gryffindor common room. Butterbeer and drinks, snacks and chips and any junk food a person could want lay about, happily being devoured by the older inhabitants of the tower.

It was late and normally everyone would be up in their dorms but it was Saturday and on Saturdays, Scorpius would sit down here with his mates and they would eat and drink, most of the time something stronger than butterbeer and they would talk and laugh about the weeks' events. It was a ritual that they had kept all throughout their years at Hogwarts. The people switched out, sometimes it was almost all the Gremlins, sneaking into a different house every week, sometimes it was just him and Al. Now, however, it wasn't just him and Al. It wasn't just the Gremlins.

"Argg," Rose complained from her seat on the floor. Scorpius glanced down and watched as she rolled her shoulders. Straightening an arm in an attempt to loosen the knots in her back and shoulders.

Scorpius winced in sympathy at the twinge of pain he felt himself as he moved his shoulders. He knew he had it better than her though. He often worked for hours with Al or someone else for the Gremlins on enchanting objects to do what was needed for a prank. He was used to the strain it took to cast magic for so long but that didn't mean he wasn't hurting too.

From his place leaning against the coffee table, Fred smirked and in a voice he would use when talking to a child he said, "Ahhh is poor Rosey feeling tired from using all her amazingly epic magical powers? Shame. Want me to kiss it and make it better?" A leather-bound tome hit Fred's head with a dull thud.

Laughter erupted from the surrounding group, and all of them decided to take turns tossing something at Fred as well. Scorpius watched with amusement as Al threw his empty box of Honeydukes chocolates, making Fred complain loudly that next time he deserved at least a few marshmallow filled ones.

Ashley, who was adorning the love seat next to the fire with Mary, snorted with amusement before returning to her sketchbook, her charcoal piece swishing across the page in light and dark streaks as she drew.

"Oi marshmallow! Hand me a butterbeer." Scorpius felt a smile spread across his face as his friends continued to banter back and forth, Rose's dorm mates rolling their eyes and saying how immature they were being. Rose who was sitting at his feet, her back against the couch shook a little with her giggles, her curls swishing back and forth with her movement.

He watched as a pillow flew through the air and the muffled cry of outrage once it hit made him laugh too.

 _"Your friends are morons,"_ Rose commented lightly in his mind. Scorpius just smirked.

 _"And yours are judgemental."_

Rose elbowed his knee, the closest part of him she could reach and in retaliation Scorpius lightly pulled on a curl of her red hair. Her hand flew up to her head and she turned astonished eyes to him.

 _"You did not just pull my hair! Are you five and in kindergarten?"_

Scorpius felt the laughter bubbling up in his chest despite his want to stay stonefaced. After a moment he couldn't help it and a bark of laughter escaped.

Rose let out a huff of annoyance and punched him in the stomach. It didn't hurt but that combined with his now animated laughter made him quite breathless.

Seeing that her physical abuse had no effect on him Rose scowled and turned back around, folding her arms firmly over her sweater and crossing her legs to sit criss cross in front of her.

Even without looking at her face Scorpius knew she was pouting.

 _"Now who's acting like a five-year-old?"_ He questioned, smiling even wider when he got his foot stomped on.

They stayed like that for a while, watching the ruckus around them, smiling and commenting when they felt like it.

Scorpius kept an eye on Rose though, he watched her roll her shoulder again and he felt her flinch. She was in pain, not a lot from what he could tell but she was uncomfortable.

"Here I can help." He said leaning forward on his knees. Rose looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowed, questioning.

Scorpius smiled again, his easy smile, calming. "I can help." He said again. Rose gazed at him for a moment longer, gauging before she nodded and turned back around.

Reaching out he brushed her hair aside, revealing the back of her neck and most of her shoulders. She was wearing a large oversized sweater, a sweater that was trying very hard to be an off-shoulder sweater.

He placed his hands on her shoulders. She tensed under him, her shoulders moving up in a reflexive way. Scorpius tried not to let that hurt. They had been doing so well together but he knew that they were still learning to trust each other whether he liked it or not. A second later Rose relaxed, her shoulders dropping again and she took a breath. She was trying.

He started to gently press and massage the tight muscles of the back of her neck. He didn't know how to message well but he knew the basics. Slowly he started to work the muscles, careful not to apply too much pressure before the muscles had warmed up otherwise he might do more harm than good.

As he slowly started to press harder, working at the knots with slow sweeping moves Rose became to slump. He felt a smile tug at his lips as she tilted her head to give him more access, a small sigh escaping her lips as he worked.

"Godrick, Malfoy. Where did you learn to do that?"

Scorpius let out a chuckle and started moving his hand in a different technique. Rose all but melted. A groan came from the redhead in front of him and as he worked at easying a particularly big knot Rose shifted, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them, placing her head on them. She sighed again, as he ran his hand a little lower, massaging between her shoulder blades.

"If you stop whatever the hell you're doing I'll kill you." Rose murmured letting out a little groan again.

Scorpius just shook his head and continued his work switching between her shoulders and upper back to her neck. He could feel eyes on them and every time he looked up one or another of the people around them would be watching. Either with amused expressions or in Al's case a scowl.

For once Scorpius didn't care that Potter was getting annoyed with him. Rose had been in pain and he was helping her, whether what he was doing looked like something more then a friendly message was their problem.

The talk around them continued but he and Rose weren't as involved as before, Scorpius focused on easing Rose's stiff muscles and Rose focused on sighing contentedly when he worked and snapping when he stopped.

Scorpius was so engrossed on working out knots that he didn't notice someone had moved the stand next to him. That was until Al was leaning down and speaking softly in his ear.

"Can I talk to you for a minute? In private."

Scorpius looked up at his friend as Al pulled back. His hands left Rose's shoulders and the almost asleep girl let out a groan of dismay.

"What did I say about stopping?" She grumbled sleepily, turning her head on her knees and blinking blearily up him. Her eyes found Al's and her blue irises flashed between the two of them, a frown pulling at her lips.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing love, I just need to talk to Al for a sec."

"Don't call me that." Came the grumbled replay.

Scorpius shook his head and stood, stepping over the curled up girl and walking around the couch. They moved as far away from the group as they could.

Stopping Scorpius turned shoving his hands into his pockets and looking at his friend quizzically. "What is it?" Scorpius thought he knew what it might be, after all, it wasn't every day your best friend glared at you like he wanted to rip your hands off.

Albus ran a hand through his messy black hair, looking past Scorpius's shoulder and not meeting his eyes. "I... I need you to...to." He sighed irritably and scrubbed a hand down his face. "How do I say this?" He muttered to himself.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow, "Spit it out, Al."

Albus lifted his head and looked at Scorpius. His gaze hard and just a little angry. "I need you to back off."

"What?"

"Rose. I need you to back off Rose. This thing you're doing, always looking at her, always being next to her," he gestured to the couch where Rose still sat, "touching her, almost kissing her. I need you to stop. Rose isn't ready for a relationship and what your doing isn't right. The bond is messing with her emotions right now. You can't be doing," he gestured hopelessly with his hands, "whatever it is you're doing right now. Rose is off limits. So back off. Alright?"

Scorpius frowned and shifted, crossing his arms across his chest. He studied Albus for a moment, the firm set of his mouth, the small crease between his brows, the wide firm stance. He wasn't backing down. But neither was Scorpius.

"No."

Albus's scowl deepened and his eyes seemed to spark in the dim light of the common room fire. "What do you mean no?! That's my cousin Scorpius, she's my family! I'm telling you to back off!"

"And I'm telling you no," Scorpius held Al's gaze, "I am not doing anything that Rose isn't alright with Albus. And I know her emotions are all over the place right now, but so are mine. Which is why Rose and I are friends Albus nothing more. We're trying to work through this as best we can. It's complicated and messy, and I don't need you coming in here and going all guard dog on me. I'm not getting into a relationship with Rose. We're friends."

"You sure are being touchy for just being friends."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Don't be immature Potter. We were training all afternoon, Rose is sore and tired, I was just helping her. And," Scorpius turned to go, "I'd like to get back to it."

"I'm not just talking about now, Malfoy. I saw you two, on the bleachers. You looked pretty cosy." Scorpius still had his back to Al, but his words stopped his footsteps. "What would have happened if I hadn't shown up when I did? Hmmm? What would you have done?"

Scorpius turned. "I'm not talking to you about this Albus and I'm definitely not doing this without Rose here. If you want to talk about this like adults I'll get Rose and we can go and talk, otherwise just shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up Malfoy," Albus was mad now, Scorpius knew how to read him and by his tense stance and his death stare he was really mad. "Rose is not herself right now and you're taking advantage so either you back off or I'll make you."

 _"Oh, he did not just say that."_ Scorpius was startled by the voice that suddenly echoed through his mind and looking over his shoulder Scorpius saw Weasley stand from her place by the couch.

He hadn't thought that he had been broadcasting their conversation to Weasley but obviously she had caught the gist. As she strode across the common room with her eyes sparkling Scorpius knew she was mad as well. Two Weasley/Potter children mad at each other at the same time in the same room. Not a good idea.

Scorpius stepped forward and stopped Weasley before she had a chance to get close enough to berate her cousin. His hands gently grabbed her arms, and he blocked her view of Albus with his body.

 _"Let go!"_ Rose snapped in his mind, struggling to get loose of his grip, her head craning to look past him to her cousin.

Scorpius sighed and tightened his grip a little, _"Look at me,"_ she didn't listen, of course, _"Weasley_ look _at me."_

 _"Let me go. I need to beat the crap out of my cousin."_

 _"No, you need to listen to me for a minute."_ she still struggled, _"I'm not letting you go until you listen to me."_

She huffed and angrily looked up at him. Her eyes were hard and he understood that. _"He's just looking out for you Rose."_

 _"I know. That's the problem. He's always doing this, always butting in on my personal problems and thinking he knows best. I'm done with it."_ Her eyes left his gaze and she again tried to see past him.

 _"Rose."_

 _"No!"_ Her blue eyes snapped back to his. She was really mad. _"He said you were taking advantage of me! He said you were using me! He is saying this is your fault, that you did this! He has no right to say that when he has no idea what he's talking about!"_

 _"Rose-"_

 _"He can't say that to you, he can't think that. This is my fault, all of it and he can't be blaming you, he can't be mad at you. He's-"_

 _"He's scared,"_ that got her attention. The mental rambling stopped and her eyes focused on him, confusion swirling in them, _"He's scared Rose, can't you see that? He's scared you'll get hurt and he's right to want to protect you. He knows you. He knows that you're scared of this too. He doesn't know that we've talked, he doesn't know that we have come to an understanding. All he knows is that one minute you're in the library studying, going to class and doing your homework and more or less ignoring the guys around you and the next minute you're moving into a separate dorm, you're always around me and you're not snapping at me or ignoring me."_

 _"All he sees is that we got closer and closer after the bond, he doesn't understand that we're just friends, that we are not in a relationship. Don't tell me you don't understand that. You're his cousin, he's your family. He knows you and he knows that this freaked you out. When you collapsed he was worried sick Rose. That scared him to death and now he's just being overprotective because he loves you. Understand that before you decide go chew him out. He needs you to talk to him, explain what is going on. So don't go into this with a head full of steam. Think first, use that head of yours."_

Rose looked at him for a long moment before sighing and ungracefully propping her head against his chest. Out loud she grumbled, "why do you have to make so much sense? It's infuriating."

Scorpius chuckled, gently pushed Rose away and released her arms. _"Go talk to him. I'll come over in a bit."_

Rose nodded and looked past him to her cousin. Scorpius stepped around her and walked over to the couch, whereupon sitting down he saw that everyone was staring at him. He sighed, "Yes?"

Fred tilted his head, "Why'd you and Rose have a very long staring contest?"

Scorpius laughed.


	16. Chapter 16

**HELLLLOOOO DEARIES. Here's chapter for you. Happy reading. ;)**

 **I want to give a MASSIVE Thank You to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her and her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 16**

 **December 14 c** **ontinuation**

 **Saturday**

 **~oOo~**

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither moving. It wasn't until Albus dropped his eyes that Rose spoke up.

"What are you trying to do?" Rose's voice was low, her tone questioning. She watched her cousin as he fidgeted under her gaze. It seemed to Rose that while he was fine talking, or rather threatening Scorpius, the thought of talking to her made him uneasy.

They were standing in the back corner of the room, as far as they could get from the group. Rose had closed off her mental link with Scorpius, not wanting him to listen in to this conversation with her cousin. She'd fill him in later if he asked but for right now it was private.

Rose crossed her arms when she got no answer, "Albus answer me. What are you doing?"

Her cousin shook his head, his mouth set in a firm line. "Nothing Rose just... Just it's nothing. Sorry about yelling." He made as if to move away, but Rose was too quick. She stepped in front of him and blocked his path.

"Rose," Al grumbled. He tried to move around her again but Rose just moved with him.

"Rose stop, you're being childish."

"Oh, I'm the childish one?"

Al moved to the right and Rose stepped as well, moving forward almost causing them to touch. Al stumbled back in his haste to not touch Rose and fell back into the wall. Rose stepped forward, boxing him in.

Rose's glare was fierce as she looked at him."I'm not the one yelling and causing fights Ablus. I'm not the one accusing people of things. You're the one with the issue here, not me. So why don't you grow a pair and actually talk to me instead of causing problems with everyone around you?"

"Rose back up. I don't want to hurt you," Albus said in a low voice, eyes holding a look of slight panic at how close Rose was standing.

"No," Rose planted her feet, arms still crossed, eyes still determined. "You obviously have an issue but are too damn afraid to admit it. I'm not letting you walk away just for you to blow up at someone else. You are going to talk to me and you are going to tell me what's wrong. So we can stand here all night but until you talk to me we're not moving."

Albus let out a heavy sigh and his eyes finally met hers. His head tilted slightly to the side as he looked at her, his mouth turned down in a frown. They stayed like that for a moment, just looking at each other before Albus shook his head and let out a groan of frustration as he ran his hands roughly down his face.

"I'm just... " He sighed. "I'm just trying to look out for you Rosie. And I know you don't want me to, everyone keeps saying I need to just let this go but I can't. This whole thing is just making me really paranoid. Every time I look at your and Scor I can't help but want to... To.." He shook his head like he was unsure, "I just can't stand by and watch. This is all so sudden and I know how overwhelmed you've been, I know you've struggled with it and I just can't help but feel that Scor is.. I dunno taking advantage of this whole thing."

Rose sighed. She had come to terms with the fact that Albus would forever be the over-protective brother. It didn't mean it made it any less exhausting. "What are you trying to protect me from Al?"

Albus frowned, "Isn't it obvious? He's not right for you Rose. He's a player. He flirts with everyone! He leads girls on and messes with their feelings."

Rose gazed at her fidgeting cousin for a long moment. A frown pulled at her lips at his choice of words and she shifted her weight, studying him. A player? Really?

"Al, he's only been on like three dates to Hogsmeade. And I would know because the girls all bragged about it in the bathroom, between classes, during dinner and just about anywhere they could. They also bragged about how great of a kisser he is. Then they cried for a month because he broke up with them before it went further. That hardly counts as a player."

He did have a point about the excessive flirting though. Rose hadn't been blind to Scorpius and the girls of Hogwarts. As much as she had tried to ignore it she couldn't miss that Scorpius used to wink, tease, and flirt with just about anyone in a skirt. And all the girls had looked back. And fawned over him. And clambered for his attention. Rarely had there not been a girl hanging off his arm or giggling to her friend from across the room.

But that was the past. Since the bond, ninety percent of the female population considered him off limits. And while the other ten percent would try to flirt, Scorpius didn't look back. Now his eyes were on her. His smiles and winks were for her. His laugh and his jokes were hers.

The thought made her smile.

"He's not going to hurt me, Albus," her voice soft.

Al put his head in his hands, "you don't get it, Rose. It's the bond. It's messing with your head. Making you do things you don't actually want."

Rose frowned, a crease forming between her eyes. "Is this about the thing on the bleachers? Al, that wasn't what you thought it was. Scorpius and I have talked all this out and we are on good terms. We've decided that we are just friends, at least for the time being." Rose took a step closer to her cousin, "I know how to take care of myself. I'll be alright."

He shook his head violently, his eyes blazing, "No. No, you won't. Scorpius is going to hurt you and I'm not going to let that happen. You deserve better Rose. You deserve more."

Rose felt her frown deepen and the gears in her mind started to whir. Why was Albus so hell-bent on making sure she was not hurt? Why was he so emotional? It didn't seem to fit. The way he was acting was erratic, and while Albus was a very hot headed person who often doesn't think before he leaps, this didn't seem like him. Something was off. The way he acted seemed to spur from an emotion not connected to her and Scorpius and what they were doing.

When Rose didn't say anything Albus scoffed and shook his head."Forget it," Albus murmured, turning to go.

Rose let him take three steps before she called out to him, "Al."

He turned and looked back at her, his eyebrow raised in question. Rose narrowed her eyes slightly at him, her arms still crossed. She tilted her head. Should she push him further? Should she drop it?

"Al," She moved forward, her eyes meeting his, "Are you afraid of love? Or afraid of not being loved back?"

He blinked rapidly for a moment before his eyes darkened and his mouth pressed into a hard line. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, yes you do." Voice quiet Rose took another step towards him. "You're afraid. That's why you're so scared for me. This is all hitting too close to home. You're terrified for me because you don't want to admit how scared you really are. So? Are you afraid of love? Or afraid of not being loved back?"

His eyes were hard, "I don't want to talk about this Rose."

"You used to talk about Abby all the time. Why'd you stop?"

Albus shook his head and crossed his arms. "Drop it, Rose."

"You have feelings for her Al, I know you do and I believe that they go beyond just liking her. I used to see it when you talked about her, that small smile you'd get." Rose looked over his face. His features pulled in tight lines, "You don't smile like that anymore, you don't talk to her or about her anymore. I don't think I have even seen you look at her of late. So why? What happened that you don't smile at the thought of her?"

His jaw clenched and his eyes bore into hers. "This is my problem Rose. Not yours." He turned and walked out of the common room, the portrait slamming hard behind him.

Rose sighed, her frown deeper than ever. She hadn't meant to make him angry, but once she had figured it out she just had to know more. And now she had even more questions. What had happened? Why was he acting like this?

She looked over to the fire again. Scorpius met her gaze, his own questioning. Rose just shook her head. She'd explain later. He held her eyes for a moment longer before giving the smallest of nods and turning back to the others.

Glancing around at them all Rose caught Mary staring at her with a calculating expression. Meeting the girl's eyes Rose watched as the look melted and a small smile graced her lips before her attention too returned to the others.

Rose focused back on the portrait hole for a moment before she sighed and made her way over to the fire. She didn't know what was wrong with Al, but one thing she knew was that it was going to be hard to find out.

 **~oOo~**

Owls. So many bloody owls. Ron didn't think he had ever had so many owls in a single day. Owls bringing news and updates. Owls bringing items and packages filled with mostly useless things. Owls simply sitting on his desk hooting impatiently for their letter of reply.

It was enough to drive a man mad.

Ron lost it when one of the waiting owls decided it had waited long enough and took off, flying over Ron and clipping his head hard with its wing.

"Ow!" Ron yelled, his hand coming to rest on the top of his throbbing head.

 _Bloody owls_ , he thought again as he glared at the small speck out the window that had been his attacker.

Ron turned his gaze to the other owls sitting and hooting on his desk. Some looked back tiredly like they couldn't care less whether they stayed there all day and others seemed to glare at him, their small beady eyes narrowed.

He shook his head. He was done with owls. Scribbling a reply to one letter he couldn't ignore, Ron tied it around the leg of a barn owl nearby and it flew off out the window. Looking around at the rest of them Ron snorted. So many owls.

"I'm done for today. You're not getting any more letters out of me so off you go. Go on, your owners can live without a ruddy reply for one more day."

They all just sat there, blinking their large eyes slowly, some even went as far as to hoot questionably. Ron threw up his hands when none of them left. He couldn't handle a dozen questioning owls right now.

Grumbling, Ron stood and grabbed his wand, picking up a small stack of papers from his desk as he went.

"The window's open," Ron called over his shoulder as he opened his office door and left, "I want you all gone by the time I get back."

Forlorn hoots were his only reply.

Shaking his head, Ron made his way down the hall. It was loud and crowded, people coming and going, shouting over the heads of others, bumping and jostling. People bustled past him as he walked and Ron glanced over his shoulder as a particularly haggard looking messenger boy ran past, carrying a large stack of paper and scrolls and looking very out of breath.

Ron continued down the hall, stopping at the first door he came to. Knocking twice sharply, Ron didn't bother waiting for an invitation before striding into the office.

Harry didn't look up from the scroll he was scribbling on, knowing that Ron was the only one who would just barge into his office. "Hey mate, just give me a minute to finish this."

"No problem," Ron walked over and placed the papers neatly on the edge of the deck before turning and walking around the office.

It was a large square room, with windows and a bookshelf, a fireplace and a large oak desk. Pictures lined the wall opposite the door. They were mostly of Harry's family and Weasleys but there were a few speckled in there of the Aurors Harry and Ron had trained over the years.

Ron felt his heart clench painfully as his eyes landed on last years group photo. They all stood, arms thrown around shoulders, people shoving and laughing. Grey stood next to him, his smile wide and infectious. Grey then laughed and shoved Frank who also stood next to him, both laughing harder as he made a comment, his own smile wide. Ron watched the people in the moving photo talk and smile, all of them too happy and some too drunk to stand still long enough for a proper photo. But that had been how Ron liked it best when they were all messing around too much to be professional or cold. When they were all just having a good time. Those had been some of the best times.

Tearing his eyes away from the photo Ron found himself gazing at a different memory altogether. His family. They stood in front of a large white house, the big front porch just behind them and the red front door standing out against everything else. It was autumn, the leaves of the big oaks and maples around them floating down and creating patches on orange and brown on the dirt. They were all bundled up, scarves and hats and fluffy socks. Rose was about four in the photo, her smile big and toothy, her curls tucked messily under her pink hat. Hugo stood in front of her, just under two here, looking like a marshmallow in his many layers and smiling just as wide as his sister while she hugged him from behind.

And then there was he and Hermione. They stood just behind the kids, arms around each other, smiling and laughing. Ron watched photo him bend down to pick Rose up from the ground and hold her on his hip while Hermione lifted up Hugo. They then all smiled and posed for the last little bit of the photo, laughing just before it came to an end.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath Ron turned away the memories and focused back on Harry, who was just finishing up his paragraph. Ron didn't need to be thinking of those they had lost. Not now, not when it was still so painful.

The file closed with a soft smack. Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What can I do for you?" He rolled his shoulders before stretching his arms above his head.

Ron flopped down in the chair in front of Harry's desk, running his hand through his greying red hair. "I have a few things I need you to look over before I send them off." Ron gestured to the files he had brought.

Harry grinned and shook his head. "Mate what have I said about adding to my workload?" Ron snorted and Harry rolled his eyes, "Fine I'll look them over and have them sent off when I'm done."

Ron nodded, though his gaze was still troubled, "Thanks, mate."

"What is it?"

"What?" Ron looked up as Harry grabbed the files, shooting the red-head a pointed look. "It's nothing."

"Ron."

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go get a drink after work." Ron looked up to see Harry peering over his glasses in a piercing look he could only have learned from Dumbledore.

He closed the file he was reading, a frown pulling at his lips. "Ron it's Saturday. It's like the only day you and Hermoine both have off work early."

Ron ducked his gaze. He had known that asking Harry was a bad idea.

"Ron." Harry's voice was quiet but the firmness in it left no room for arguing. "Are you guys fighting again?"

He let out a groan sitting forward so that his arms rested on his knees, his gaze still fixed on the floor. "It's fine Harry. We're fine."

Harry sat back in his chair with a heavy sigh, taking his glasses off and rubbing at his eyes. "You guys need to figure this out, Ron."

"I know Harry. We will. Don't worry about it."

Harry just shook his head while reopening the file, "I'll always worry about you mate. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. And if you don't want to go home, we can go out for drinks. It's up to you."

Ron gazed at the smooth top of the oak desk for a while, not saying anything and just listening to the sound of Harry flipping through the files, occasionally writing something down.

He sighed. He couldn't avoid Hermione any longer. Though he had managed to do that all week, enough was enough.

He stood and Harry glanced up at him. "Going home?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah, I got some things I need to do."

Harry hummed, "If you change your mind on those drinks you know where to find me."

"You're a good friend Harry." Ron reached over and clapped him on the shoulder, smiling slightly at the dark-haired man.

Harry just shook his head and put his glasses back on, his eyes returning to his work. "And don't you forget it, Weasley."

 **~oOo~**

The house was quiet when he opened the front door. All the lights were off, and at first there were no signs that anyone was home. But there by the door was a light brown coat and the black boots that belonged to his wife. She was home.

Sighing Ron shrugged off his own coat and hung it up beside the brown one, kicking off his shoes with practised ease.

As he moved past the front entrance and rounded the corner he found that there was, in fact, a light on in the house. The glass door leading to the kitchen allowed the soft yellow light to shine into the hall, alerting Ron that someone was or had been in the room.

He moved slowly down the hall, not in much of a hurry to be having a conversation with an angry Hermione.

He pushed open the door, the glass making no sound as it swung in. Ron paused as he saw her, his eyes taking in her posture, trying to gauge her mood.

She was sitting at the opposite side of the room, at the small dining nook. She was turned slightly, her eyes focused outside. Maybe she was watching the snow drifting down, sparkling in the light from the lamp on the table. Or maybe her mind was far elsewhere and her eyes had the glazed over look like she was daydreaming.

Ron couldn't see her face with the way she sat but he saw the cup of cocoa that sat on the table with her hand loosely holding it. He saw the rise and fall of her slim form, her tangle of curls tied loosely back. She wore a simple oversized sweater and Ron tilted his head slightly when he recognized it as one of his own. Her legs that were tucked under her were clad in a pair of sweatpants.

He stepped forward and let the door close slowly, his eyes trained on the unmoving figure in front of him.

"Are you just going to stand there staring all night or are you going to come to sit?"

"You're talking to me again." Ron pointed out, walking over to one of the cabinets and pulling it open, grabbing a bottle of fire whiskey and a small tumbler glass from the side.

"Yeah well, we both can't be acting like children."

Ron said nothing to that as he walked over to her, taking the seat opposite and pouring himself a glass of the whiskey. They were silent for a long time, Hermione still staring out the window at the snow and Ron just sitting there taking sips of his drink. He had decided to talk to her, to work this out, but now that he was sitting there Ron had no earthly idea of how to fix this particular fight. It was like every time he tried to come up with something to say his mind drew a blank. It made him want to slap the side of his head until something actually sensible came out of his mouth.

"Any new leads on the Albertson case?" Hermione broke the silence.

A safe topic.

Ron leaned back in his seat raising the glass to his lips. The whiskey burned harshly down his throat, but he relished the feel, enjoying the warmth it sent through his system.

"None," He looked down at his glass as he swirled the remaining contents around, staring at the amber liquid that sloshed about. "It's maddening. No one knows anything and any information was can get is of no use. Our next move is to get some people on the inside but that is going to take time. Time we don't have. Honestly, we're all sort of running around in circles trying to figure out how we proceed."

Hermione hummed and Ron watched as she lifted her drink to her lips, taking a small sip before setting it down again. For the first time that night her gaze met his, her warm honey coloured eyes dancing in the light of the lamp.

 _She's beautiful,_ Ron thought, looking at her soft features. Her curls were as unruly as the first day he had met her, her eyes just as enchanting, her lips soft and full, the softest sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks. _She is so beautiful._

Hermione cocked a brow, her eyes questioning. "You're staring."

"You're beautiful."

Hermione sighed, "You can't fix this with flattery Ron."

Ron shrugged slightly, "I can try."

She shook her head, reaching a hand up to push some curls that had escaped from the bun, "It's going to take a hell of a lot more than trying."

Ron sat forward, his arms resting on the table top, a frown pulling at his lips, "And what is it going to take Hermione? I said I was sorry. I was there as soon as I heard. What else can you want from me? I came, maybe not as soon as you would have liked but I came."

She scoffed, a bitter smile forming. "But that's always the case isn't it? You didn't mean to, you're sorry, you'll do better." Her gaze was hard as she met his eyes, "Well sorry isn't good enough this time Ronald. You didn't mean to isn't going to cut it. Rose needed you! She was hurt and you didn't bother to show up for hours! Hours! I sat there with her, while she was in pain, while she was suffering, and where were you? Huh? Where were you?"

Ron felt his temper rising. That ugly beast inside of him that was always too close to the surface. "I have a job Hermione! I have responsibilities! It was chaos that day and I didn't get the Healer's message right away. But I came the minute I found out that Rose was in the Hospital. I didn't find out then choose to stay at work! I came! I showed up!"

"I have a job too!" Hermione was on her feet, her eyes angry. The room seemed to buzz with tension. All the pent-up emotions that had been stewing for a week were suddenly all coming out in one big explosion.

"I have responsibilities too Ronald! But I was there! I was there on time! I didn't stay at work, I didn't make excuses because that is all those are. Excuses. You choose to ignore your messages, even though you knew they were from Healer Lynde. You made that decision, not me! I could have very easily chosen to ignore them as well, but I didn't! I was there for Rose, and you just showed up last minute and then left again because of work! That's what you always do! You're never there on time, you're never there when your family needs you! It's always work, it's always something else, it's never us!"

"That isn't fair!" Ron didn't know when he had stood up all he knew was that he was yelling. Yelling just like Hermione was. He was angry. Angry that she was implying that he cared more for his work than his family. Acting as if she had never stayed at work longer then she was supposed to. Never showed up late. "I love the kids! They mean more to me than any job could. But I can't always just drop everything and come running! This case, this is big. If we don't figure this out a lot of people will get hurt. Families, children. I can't just walk away from that. I have a duty to see this through and if that means that sometimes I don't always show up on time then that is what I'll have to do because this matters. It matters!"

The sound of Hermione's hand as it slapped him was jarring. It was loud and unexpected and the sting that it left behind was too.

"We matter!" Hermione screamed, her fisted balled. There were tears in her eyes but they didn't fall. Ron stood there staring at the woman in front of him, too stunned to say anything. "Your family matters! And it's not sometimes it's every time! I have held my peace about this for years Ron! Years! I didn't say anything when you missed Rose's first play in primary school. I didn't say anything when you failed to show up for Hugo's baseball games. I kept quiet when you missed Christmas that year, or when you skipped out of Rose's birthday party. I stay silent. Because you were always there, telling me about the families you saved, the mothers and the children and the fathers and brothers. And for a long time I thought you were doing the right thing, helping all those people, but then I started to realize that while you were off saving all those other families you failed to be there for your own. Your children grew up with a father that always came home too tired to play with them. They always had a father that was to busy to read them a story. They grew up with a father that was too preoccupied with work to be an actual father." Her voice had lowered as she talked, and as she spoke those last words they were hissed more than anything else.

Her words hurt more than the stinging in his cheek. Her angry hurt more. This was his wife. The woman he loved and she was standing there telling him that he had been a bad father, a bad husband. He cherished his family, more than words could express. They were his everything, but his work was important too. He was helping people, every day.

When he had missed Rose's first play he had been called out for an emergency raid on a local drug cartel that was selling to underaged kids. The baseball games he had missed he had been helping get a family that had helped the Aurors to a safe house. Christmas, Rose's birthday, he had been helping people. He hadn't wanted to miss those moments, but his work had been life or death. His family hadn't been dying. Those people had been.

How was that wrong? How was saving a life instead of being at a play wrong? Rose may have been upset that he hadn't been there, but Ron had made up for it by taking her out for ice cream and taking her to the fair. Hugo had always been disappointed that Ron hadn't been there to see his home run, but when Ron got home he would play ball with him in the backyard. He hadn't always been there for them, but that didn't mean he didn't care.

Ron shook his head. "I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. He could make up an excuse and try and justify, but in her eyes all it meant was that he was there when he should have been with them.

He watched as she turned her back to him, running her hands down her face then up into her hair. She let out a hollow laugh, a dead sound that made Ron's heart clench. "You always are." Her words were a pained whisper, and by the slight strain to her voice, Ron could tell she was trying hard not to cry.

There was a long silence, the only sound was their breathing and the gentle wind outside. The kitchen was growing darker, the lamp dimming, soon they would be shrouded in darkness.

"I can't do this anymore Ron." Her voice cut through the still air like a knife. Not loud, not harsh but numb, emotionless. "We're always fighting, always yelling. I can't handle it anymore."

Ron didn't move, fearing that even the slightest thing might set her off. "W-what are you saying?"

She still had her back to him, her arms were wrapped around herself like she was giving herself a hug. Or like she was trying to hold herself together and if she let go for just a second she might fall apart. "I'm saying we haven't been alright for a long time Ron. We haven't come home and not yelled or argued for too long. I'm saying that this isn't working. We tried. We tried so hard, but I don't think this was ever going to work." There was a pause, and her breath came uneasily. "We don't work."

Ron's breath hitched, his heart clenched. There was a ringing him his ears. He could hear the blood rushing through his head. "We have kids Hermione." His voice was strangled, "We have a life together, family. We can't just throw that away. Things are hard now but they'll get better. We've been happy, we can be happy again. You can't jus-just give up. Not now."

But she was already shaking her head, her shoulders rising and falling faster than normal. "I'm done, Ron. I was done a long time ago."

"No," His voice was stronger then he thought was possible at that moment, "We can't fall apart now Hermione. Not with everything that's happened with Rose. She needs parents right now. She needs a united front. She needs to see that we are there for her, both of us, especially if we ever want her to open up about all this. Now is not the time. We can't do this."

Ron stared at the back of her head, at the caramel curls tied back, at the elegant curve of her neck, at the small silver clasp from the necklace she always wore, the one she had gotten from her parents so many years ago. He didn't want to lose her, but a part of him was done too. This constant fighting and bickering was just so trying. A part of him didn't want to do it anymore either.

But then he thought about her not being there anymore, about coming back to an empty house, eating alone in the kitchen, walking upstairs and sleeping alone in that big bed. He had had her for almost his entire life. After the war, they had dated for a few months then they had moved in together and by that same time next year they were married.

And it had been good. I had been so good. They had been in love and they had been so happy because they had lived through hell together. Everything had seemed possible after that. But somewhere after Rose had been born the fighting started. It slowly started to fall apart. They started bickering over small stupid things. Then they started yelling and the fighting only got worse. When Hermione had gotten her job at the Ministry it had only strained things more. Over time the laughter had become less and less and the yelling more and more. They had tried to not fight in front of the kids but Ron knew they had done a poor job.

Things had fallen apart. Slowly but surely. And now there they stood. In that dimly lit kitchen, both reeling in that fact that this was what they had turned out to be. Their love had slowly turned to resentment and anger. Everything they once cherished had turned dark and ugly. They weren't beautiful anymore. They were broken.

Hermione's shoulders sagged like a heavy weight had been placed there. "I'm going to spend the night at Harry and Ginny's." She made to move, her bare feet stepping across the floor.

"Wait!" His hand shot out and grasped her arm, stopping her retreat. "That's it? You tell me you're done? That you don't want to do this anymore and then you just leave me?"

Her eyes stayed on the ground but she shook her head, "I'm not leaving you, Ron. You're right, the kids need us. We can't do this, not now. So no, I'm not leaving you, but I can't handle being in this house tonight so I'm going to go to Harry and Ginny's for the night."

"Hermione we need to talk about this."

She finally looked up then and Ron saw red-rimmed eyes and the tears swimming in them. She looked so tired, so defeated. "I can't tonight Ron. We'll just yell and I don't want to say something else that I might regret. So no, we're not talking about this now. We will, but not now."

He let go of her arm and watched as she turned and walked out of the kitchen. He stayed there, not moving, listening to her moving upstairs as she packed an overnight bag. Then he heard her walk down the stairs and some scuffling in the entryway. There was the sound of the front door opening and the sharp crack of apparition.

She was gone.

The lamp that had been slowly dimming since he had arrived finally went out, leaving the kitchen shrouded in shadows. The snow outside no longer looked sparkly and white, but dark and swirling, ominous.

Ron moved over to the lamp, placing his wand near the wick to relight it but the flame flicked dimly, feeling cold and lifeless. No matter how many times he tried to relight the wick the flame just spluttered out. The candle had reached the end of its wax and wick. It was done.

Ron grabbed the bottle of fire whiskey from off the table and lifted the still full bottle to his lips. He knew he couldn't drink his problems away, but for tonight he would try like hell too. The liquid burned as it coursed down his throat but Ron didn't care. He was too numb to care.


	17. Chapter 17

_**For Jen. Love you.**_

 **I want to give a MASSIVE Thank You to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her and her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 17**

 **December 16th**

 **Monday**

 **~oOo~**

Rose sat eating her late breakfast, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked around the Great Hall. Since both she and Scorpius had a free-period that morning she was able to sit by herself admiring the Christmas decorations and enjoying the revelry. Her friends were already off to their early classes, Scorpius was across the hall talking to other students, and Al had yet to make an appearance. Rose was waiting for him.

She smiled as she observed her peers. Hogwarts was going nuts like it always did this time of year. Students everywhere were sitting nervously, looking around with wide stressed eyes, whispering with their friends, flirting across the hall; it was madness.

The Yule Ball was less than a week away, and the students who hadn't gotten up the courage to ask someone yet were to put it simply, panicking.

She couldn't help but grin at the frenzy of alarmed students around her. If they hadn't found a date by now, there was probably a slim chance they would in time. It was funny. The way students kept throwing glances at the people they wanted to ask as though their eyes could say it all was amusing.

Because once upon a time that had been her. Not the one throwing glances, but the one on the receiving end of those panicked gazes. Yes, this time of year the boys that had been interested in her since the start all finally had a chance. While most were still terrified that Albus and or the rest of the Gremlins would beat them up for even looking at Rose funny, it was an unspoken rule that for the Yule Ball they were allowed to ask her and if she accepted to take her.

This rule that been established during her second year when she had been the only one in her friend group to not have a date because of Albus and his Gremlins. She had cried, mainly out of frustration because even back then, at the young age of twelve Albus had not wanted boys around her. She hadn't been interested in dating, she was only twelve after all, but Albus had thought differently, thinking that all boys were out to get her.

So he had chased off anybody that had wanted to ask her, rendering her dateless and alone. She had gotten her dress weeks before, planned out her hair and what little makeup she'd wear. She had been giddy, looking around and smiling at the boys that were looking at her, waiting for them to come up to her and ask. But they never did because Al got there first. Because of his actions she had run out of the Great Hall crying, her dress billowing behind her.

After all that, Albus had relented and said that he wouldn't chase off a guy that wanted to take her to the Ball again. That for that night only, she could have a date.

Somehow the boys at Hogwarts found out about this and every year since Rose had a date. And even though Albus usually lurked in the background, his eyes burning holes into the back of her date's head the whole night, Rose had been happy.

Now she sat in the Great Hall, the smell of breakfast in the air along with the hint of pine from the trees around them and smiled. She was so glad she didn't have to deal with that drama anymore.

"Good god this is all giving me a headache."

Rose felt her smile widen as Hugo slumped down on the empty bench next to her, letting out a groan and plopping his head down on the table.

"Is brother dearest not feeling festive?"

Hugo turned his head and glared at Rose, "It's not the holiday I'm pissed at, it's the event planned for the holiday."

Rose mimicked her brother's position with her arm's crossed and head on the table, "What don't you like about balls? The dancing, the food, the music? It doesn't fill you with joy and happiness?"

Hugo let out a loud snort and rolled his eyes at his sister. "I think I'd rather help Hagrid with bathing the blast-ended skrewts."

This comment made Rose smirk. "That could be arranged."

Hugo glowered, his features scrunching up in disgust at the thought of blast-ended skrewt bathing duty. Rose chuckled, she loved teasing him.

"I take it by your mood that you don't have a date yet?"

Hugo sighed. He turned around on the bench, leaned back against the table, elbows resting on top feet stretched out into the aisle. "No," He answered, not meeting her eyes, "I got someone to go with."

Rose was shocked. Out of the four years he had been at Hogwarts, not once had he ever had a date to the Ball. He hated the thing. Dressing up, the large number of people shoved into the same room, the music, the hype leading up to it. Everything about it irritated him, so he had put as little effort into it as possible. Hugo had to go, but he didn't dress up more then he had to and he never danced.

Now he had a date.

"Who?" Rose asked, unable to hide her surprise.

Hugo tilled his head back and looked up at the ceiling which was currently swirling with snow, mirroring the outside world. "Eva."

Rose stared for a long moment, her eyes widening at the faint blush she could see splashed across his freckled face. Eva? It took a moment to figure out who on earth Eva was but then the name clicked in her mind and Rose's mouth fell open. Her eyes instantly darted over to the Hufflepuff table and after a moment of searching, landed on a short blonde girl. She was a Gremlin from what Rose knew.

"You mean Eva Gray?" Rose asked incredulously, "How do you even know her? You're not in the Gremlins and if I'm not mistaken she's a year younger then you so you don't have any classes with her."

Hugo himself looked over at the Hufflepuff table, his eyes landing on the girl in question. He gave a little shrug after a minute, eyes still trained on Eva. "It's funny actually. Well maybe not funny but I dunno, interesting. We meet just this year. I had no clue who she was until a few weeks ago. It was a few days after the Bonding. I was walking back from the Hospital wing after seeing you and we sort of just bumped into each other. She's so tiny, I nearly bowled her over. Caused her to drop all her stuff. I helped her pick it all up, blubbering on and on about how sorry I was. She just laughed and shrugged it off. I was about to go when she asked about you. She wanted to know how you and Malfoy were getting along. We ended up talking. I walked her to the Great Hall for lunch and we talked some more. It was really nice actually. She's pretty funny and once you get into it she's really interesting too. We've been meeting in the Libray to study and hang out for a while now. When the topic of the Ball came up she admitted that she didn't have anyone to go with yet."

He shrugged again, "I just sort of blurted it out. I don't know why I did but I said I'd go with her if she wanted. Just as friends though. She said okay." Hugo let out a chuckle. "Now I'm roped into going to this stupid thing for real. I can't just stand in the back and eat all the food. Really stupid of me but it made her happy so I'm sure I'll live."

"That's very... Chivalrous of you." Rose finally said her eyes calculating as she looked at her brother. Interesting, she thought. "So you're just going as friends? Nothing more?"

Hugo turned back to her, rolling his eyes again, "Yes Rose, just as friends. I don't need or want a girlfriend. Eva is just fun to talk to so I like hanging around with her. Don't make it out to be more then it is."

It was Rose's turn to roll her eyes. Honestly, the kid got so defensive. A person just askes a little question and you get your head bitten off.

"Alright well, I'm glad you found someone to go with."

Another eye roll.

The rest of breakfast went by pretty smoothly, Hugo stayed and talked with Rose for a little while longer before Lily came over to drag him off so they could get to class on time.

Then just before Rose got up to go get Scorpius herself, she saw something. Abigal, Albus's Abby, was sitting at her table when John Gibbings, a sixth-year Slytherin and a right prat, came up behind her, leaned down with a devilish smirk and whispered something in her ear. As he pulled back Abby nodded and stood from her table, a bright smile on her face, her long black hair swishing behind as John reached out with his hand and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Rose watched with a narrowed gaze as the two slipped through the Great Hall doors, a scowl pulling at her lips as she watched Gibbings' hand slip dangerously low on Abby's back.

Could this be what was upsetting Albus? Her mind whirled, the last time Albus had talked about Abby had been the night of their last Hogsmeade visit. He had been upset because when coming back from the kitchens with food he had stumbled upon Abby flirting with Gibbings. Rose didn't know how but she thought maybe Ablus had found out about this too and had been avoiding all things Abby related since.

 _"Hey, we need to get to class."_

Rose shook her head slightly, trying in vain to stop thinking about Abby and Albus. Absentmindedly she leaned down and grabbed her book bag before standing and finding Scorpius in the crowd. It wasn't hard, a small part of her mind seemed to always know where he was.

He smiled as she walked up to him and she nodded back, falling in step beside him as they moved with the crowd towards their first class.

Rose found herself gazing into space as they walked in silence, her every thought sparking with concentration. She needed to know what was bothering Albus. Was it Gibbings? Or was it something else. Had he and Abby talked maybe? Had they fought? Rose had no clue. Over the years Albus and Abby hadn't talked a lot, both being too shy of each other. It seemed unlikely that they would fight. But what had happened? Abby had had boyfriends over the years and while Albus mopped about and sighed a lot when she did, it had never made him stop talking about her or made him angry at her.

He was always upset but not at Abby. Usually, the Gremlins liked to play pranks on the poor suckers that dated Abby but never had Albus been mad at the girl herself.

It was so confusing to Rose. And what made it worse this time is that Rose hadn't seen Albus since yesterday. Where was he? What was wrong? What had happened? No matter what scenarios Rose came up with in her mind none seemed to fit. It started to drive her nuts.

Without noticing, Rose started to bite at her fingernails. A nervous habit she tried very hard not to do.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the sharp gaze she was receiving. It wasn't until a hand reached up and grabbed her own, pulling it away from her mouth and stopping her from ruining her nails that she snapped out of it.

Her eyes flicked to the side and she was met with a storm. Scorpius's grey-blue eyes swam with concern, the look he was giving her was questioning.

"What's wrong? You only bite your nails when you're really troubled." They had come to a stop, the hall around them quieting as students rushed off to class. His eyes were so intense Rose had the urge to look away, "You blocked me out."

She hadn't even realized that she had been doing it. She supposed some part of her didn't want Scorpius in her head.

His words were soft and Rose did look away now, "Sorry," She mumbled.

He shook his head, "It's ok, you're allowed to have your own thoughts, but what made you worry? You're nervous, I can feel it. What's wrong?"

Rose bit her lip, not noticing the way Scorpius's eyes tracked the move before dragging his eyes away. "It's just Albus." Scorpius nodded his understanding. Rose had filled him in loosely about her conversation with her cousin. "I'm just concerned. I haven't seen him since yesterday and I saw something this morning that made me think I know why he's upset."

"What'd you see?"

Rose sighed, "Abby and Gibbings. They walked to class together and the way he was holding her was more than just friendly. I'm pretty sure they're seeing each other. But she's had boyfriends in the past and Albus has never acted like this before." Rose shook her head again, "I just don't know how to help."

Scorpius nodded, his eyes clouded in thought. They started walking again, not wanting to be late for class. "I don't know." He finally said, "Albus and Abby are a hard subject. They're both hopeless with their feelings. Not wanting to admit that they do have them. It's only gotten worse over the years."

Rose nodded, frowning at the thought of all the back and forth those two went through. "I know. I feel like strangling Albus sometimes. If he just said some of the stuff he said to us to her they would have been together ages ago. But no, he just keeps it inside, not even knowing that he's hurting both of them by not saying anything. I just don't understand that. If you like someone you tell them, even if there's a chance you'll get rejected. Don't you think it's worse to live with the thought that you never told them, that there might have been a chance if only you had said something? I think it is. If you have feelings for someone you tell them and then go from there. It might be hard or awkward if you get rejected but at least you know that it's been said. That it's out in the open. God, he is just so stubborn! What am I going to do with him?!"

Rose turned to look at Scorpius, expecting to find him nodding and agreeing with her only to see that his eyes were suddenly far off, his expression troubled. With a start, Rose realized that he had closed his mind to her.

It bothered her, she didn't like not feeling him there in her mind. It was odd.

They had made it to their class, DADA. Rose frowned at Scorpius as his eyes refocused but he didn't look at her. "The bell's about to ring." He said curtly then pushed the door to the class open, holding it there for her to walk in first. She stood there for a second, looking at him but he just gave her a strained smile and nodded his head inside.

As they took their seats Rose's mind still buzzed. With a silent groan she pulled out her books and set up her space just as the bell rang and class started.

All throughout class Rose kept glancing at Scorpius, only to find him staring at the same spot on the desk, eyes unreadable.

 _God, what have I done now?_ Rose thought. _First Albus and now Scorpius. Why can't I keep my big mouth shut?_

The problem was that she had no idea what she had said to make Scorpius withdraw like this. She went over the whole conversation in her head, but nothing seemed to trigger anything.

Class went by in a blur and she started when the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson. She hadn't heard a word the teacher had said. So lost in thought that the whole hour was up before she even knew it.

Rose felt like plopping her head down on the desk and not moving until everything was right again. With a sigh Rose stood and packed up her things, glancing over at Scorpius when he got up without a word and walked out of class. Rose sighed again before jogging to catch up.

 **~oOo~**

 _ **Rebel headquarters**_

 ** _Northern Scotland, close to Aberdeen._**

It was late. Most of the countryside was asleep, tucked away safe and sound in their beds. But down on the coast, nestled into the wharf, was a large building hiding in plain sight that was very much awake.

At the top of the building, there was a window with a dim flickering light. It was a fireplace in a large dark office, with the only other source of light being a small lamp sitting on a large desk. A woman sat behind the desk, idly flipping through a small notebook. While her eyes seemed trained on the pages, her mind was elsewhere.

She didn't look up when a knock sounded at the door, merely called out, "Yes?"

"Mistress," came the high-strung voice of her secretary, "There has been an incident. We need you." There was scuffling outside and the sound of papers being rustled.

The woman didn't seem fazed by the news. She simply sat forward, moving to place the book inside a drawer of the desk and shutting it, flicking her wand to lock it before standing and striding to the door.

Upon opening it she found Wellings, her secretary, standing there. Her bodyguard stood beside him.

Though Wellings was taller than her, he seemed to shrink into insignificance in her presence. His brown plain features, nothing special. But he was a necessary tool in her success.

"What is it, Wellings? I have a lot to finish tonight, I don't have time for mistakes."

He nodded vigorously, eyes dancing, "Of course Ma'am. I wouldn't bother you with it unless it was important. There is someone you need to see."

"What has happened?" They started to walk down the dark hall, her guard walking a small distance behind them, just out of earshot. Shadows seemed to flicker on the walls, a trick of the light due to the foreboding dark grey colour.

"There was some trouble with one of the deliveries tonight."

The woman pursed her lips just the slightest bit, the only sign that showed she was bothered by this. "I thought I told you to make sure everything was handled and taken care of."

"I did ma'am," Wellings' voice was as calm as he could make it, which wasn't very. "But this wasn't a problem with organisation."

"What was it then?" They came to the end of the hall, coming upon a landing of sorts. An elevator stood in front of them and the woman reached out and pressed the button, the doors making a dinging sound before opening.

"It was one of the men my Lady." The woman came to a stop as they stepped inside, turning to face Wellings, "while loading the crates onto the trucks the area was invaded. Aurors overtook the checkpoint and have secured the goods that were there. Luckily it was only one of the Eastern holding points and not a large number of goods were taken. But they did manage to take a few of the men in before they had a chance to get away."

Her gaze was steady, "how did the Aurors know where the holding point was? Do we know?"

"Yes. In the midst of the raid, one of our men was seen going over to the Auror's side, clearly knowing them. Cohen managed to grab the man and apparate them both back here. She was injured during the attempt, but she was successful. The man is in a holding cell and Cohen is being treated. The general is waiting for you now."

The woman turned as the elevator doors opened and walked towards a large black door on the far side of the small room. She pulled it open and disappeared down another dark flight of stairs. Wellings and her guard followed behind her, their footfalls loud on the stone. Neither seemed to have mastered the art of walking quietly it seemed.

She made it to the bottom of the stairs and with sure steps, walked down a short hall and opened yet another door at the very end.

The room she entered was tiny, with only a counter in the corner, and chairs along the wall. Behind the counter were a wall of keys, each one hung perfectly on their hook. The whole thing was protected by a soft white magical shield, restricting any that was not authorized personnel from getting their hands on them.

There was a man behind the counter who looked up and straightened immediately upon seeing her. He seemed to bow slightly and his eyes held a hint of nervousness. "Miss." He said and the woman nodded, walking past him to the large steel door next to the desk.

The man scrambled out from behind the desk and with shaky hands unlocked the door for her, holding it open for her and the two men behind her to enter.

They walked into a hallway, it was long and blinding white, the lights overhead almost giving the woman a headache for how bright they were. Along both sides of the hall were steel doors, each with a large red number painted on them. Ten on each side, twenty in all.

At the far end of the hall stood a large man and a woman. They were talking in hushed tones, but when the door opened and the woman stepped in they both straightened and saluted her.

"General," she said as she approached the pair, nodding to the man. She then turned her eyes on the woman, "Cohen. I'm glad to see that you are not too badly hurt."

"Thank you, ma'am," Cohen said, brushing some of her blond hair from her face, revealing a bandaged cut on her forehead.

The woman nodded to her and then turned back to the General. He was a large man with a short military buzz cut, sharp facial features and dark brown eyes that held no give or patience for mistakes.

"Is he inside?" She motioned with her head to the door marked 18 just behind her.

The General nodded, "Yes. I was waiting for you before I went in to question him."

The woman looked over at the door, at the cold unrelenting steel, "did he do everything we thought he would?"

She looked back over at the General, watching his expression. "Yes, ma'am. He went running to the Aurors the minute he caught wind of the news."

The woman nodded, ignoring the frown she was getting from Wellings. "And he has no idea we knew?"

"None my lady."

"Where's his brother?"

The General nodded to a holding cell two down. "In there my Lady. He was not at the holding plant when it happened and claims to know nothing about the events that took place there. I have someone interrogating him now."

"Good." The woman smiled then, a startling bright one that made all but the general uneasy, "Let's go break the news to our dear Atticus, General. I'm sure he's just dying to know what will happen."

She opened the unlocked door of the holding cell and stepped in, smiling all the while. Atticus Bolton looked up from where he sat, his arms and legs chained. His eyes were hard and fierce and the triumphant look in them only made her smile wider. He was tall and lanky, with a thin handsome face. His eyes were a mix of brown and green, and his hair was dark and curly.

"Atticus my dear boy." Her voice was a purr that made the young man squirm slightly. "What is this I hear about you talking to the wrong people? I thought I taught you better than that." She walked around the table that sat in front of Atticus and came to lean gently against it right next to the boy. She reached out with a hand to push a few stray curls from his face.

"Don't touch me, you bitch." His voice was gruff and hard.

Her smile only became sweeter, "Oh no, don't be like that Atticus. You might make me think you don't like me."

His glare was her only reply.

"Not in much of a chatting mood are we? Well, that doesn't matter, I don't need you to talk, you only need to listen." The smile never faltered as she watched a little confusion swim through his eyes.

"You're not going to interrogate me? Or torture me to tell you what I said to the Aurors?"

Her light laugh filled the room, a sound that wasn't pleasant or amused, "Now why would I do that Atticus? I already know what you told them."

His face froze, eyes widening slightly. She could practically see the gears turning. "W-what do you mean?"

She reached out again, her fingers running lightly through his hair. He didn't pull away this time, only sat there watching her with eyes no longer triumphant.

"My dear sweet boy, haven't you figured it out yet?"

There was a moment of silence in which the two sat looking at each other. The General was standing by the door, his eyes harsh as he watched them. Atticus's eyes darted across the woman's face, before finally meeting her gaze. His eyes had a dead look in them now, "You knew."

The smile on her face no longer seemed happy or sweet, it was like his words had corrupted it, turning it foreboding, "Of course I knew." She dropped her hand, "There is nothing that goes on around here that I don't know about Atticus. You were reckless and stupid to think otherwise. I knew when you started questioning me and what I am doing. I knew when you started asking questions you shouldn't have been asking. I knew when you decided that you didn't want to be a part of this anymore; when you started to plot against me."

Atticus's face was slowly draining of colour, his regret and self-hatred for not being more careful written all over his face. "You knew." He repeated to himself like he was trying to confirm it in his mind.

"I knew." She echoed, "When I heard you wanted to go to the Aurors and tell them everything you could I decided to use you. I made sure that some information fell into your lap. You thought you were very clever, finding out all these things that would help the Ministry tear down everything. But did you ever stop for one moment and think about how easily you found those things out? How simple it was? Did you ever stop to think that maybe I knew? That I was simply feeding you information? That I wanted you to go to the Ministry?"

His brown eyes were dark with despair. There was no hope left in them. "You gave me information knowing I would go to the ministry." He said slowly, his voice cracking slightly, his gaze fixed on the table. "If I had to guess I'd say that it was all bullshit. Every location, every number and intel on the goods. Everything I told them will only lead them to dead ends or ambushes." He looked back up at her. "Am I right?"

She smiled wider, like a proud mother at her son for getting all the right answers on the test. "You're catching on."

"So what now? Are you going to kill me? Torture me?"

She let out another laugh, "Of course not. I would never hurt you Atticus. No, I have plans for you."

He narrowed his eyes, a frown pulling at his lips, "You're just going to let me off the hook? Let me continue to live here and work for you? That doesn't make any sense. There's always a punishment, always something, you have never let anyone walk away scot-free."

The woman's beautiful face held no feelings, her eyes were hard and emotionless. Even though she smiled, it was an empty one. "I said I wouldn't hurt you Atticus. I said nothing about your brother."

As if on cue a scream pierced the air. The woman watched Atticus's eyes grow wide and panicked. He lurched forward, straining at the chains that bound him tightly in place. "You bitch! I'll kill you." His voice was also strained, and as another scream cut through the air his breath grew ragged.

"Now now there's no need for that. You wouldn't want the nice fellow who's talking to Asher to accidentally slip with that knife, would you? He might kill someone."

If possible Atticus' face grew even paler. His voice was hard as stone and so low she could barely hear it. "Go to hell."

Her laugh echoed around the room, interrupting the screams. "Oh, sweetie." Her smile never faltered as she leaned forward, getting very close to his face, her blood red painted fingertips grazing along his throat. "You're already there."


	18. Chapter 18

**To all of you that read this I have something exciting to tell you. For the next few days leading up to Christmas I will be posting chapters for you each day. This is both a way to make up for the slow posting and a way to say thank you for all the wonderful reviews and for all of you that have stuck by this story.**

 **I hope you like it.**

 **BIG Thank You to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her and her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 18**

 **December 18th**

 **Wednesday**

 **~oOo~**

The cloud of smoke floated upwards as he breathed out, blowing out slowly. He watched as it twisted in the air, turning into a crow then a lion before disintegrating. He took another drag before dropping his hand to rest on his bent knee.

Reaching out with the hand not holding the cigarette, James nudged the tip of his wand at the blue fire in front of him, causing the flames to grow slightly, warming the frigid air around him to a more comfortable temperature.

He sat with his back up against a rocky overhang, the black lake stretched out in front of him, it's murky waters gently swishing up onto the pebbly shore.

The stars shone bright and clear in the sky, not a cloud to be seen. The moon was waning, barely a sliver. There was not a sound that night besides the few night critters that dared to venture out into the cold snow. All was still and silent.

James stared out at the lake, at the glassy smoothness, the way it reflected the castle.

This, the small overhang of rocks on the far side of the lake, hidden by trees and almost impossible to see if you didn't know it was there, was his place. The place he came when he needed to think or just wanted to be alone.

He had come here a lot over the past two years. He had found it in second year, but had never really frequented it until last year. The first time he had come out here in the middle of the night to stare at the lake, smoke and think had been the night Will had kissed him for the first time.

James could remember it like it was yesterday and a shiver ran down his spine at the memories. He didn't want to remember but there was no stopping the onslaught of images.

There had been a party that night, a large noisy one that somehow went on under the radar of the teachers. James had shown up in his leather jacket, skinny jeans and blue tee shirt ready to drink and dance. But he had gotten more than he had bargained for that night.

He had seen him across the room, downing a shot, laughing and grimacing at the taste. James had found himself pausing and taking a breath at how hot he looked in his black jeans, tan hoodie and jean jacket.

He had forced himself to look away, to not stare. But by then Will had already gotten under his skin. They had known each other for too long for him not to have. James had wanted Will for too long.

And that night he hadn't been able to stop himself.

He had forced himself not to look at Will or talk to him, to avoid him at all costs. And it had worked. Until he had gotten too drunk to think straight, too sloshed to know what he was doing would cause pain.

But then he had looked over and there he had been, blue eyes, full lips, soft perfect hair and James had given in.

He had walked up to Will, grabbed his wrist and pulled him from the party, out past the dark hall and into a secluded classroom. He had attacked Will with his lips the minute they were inside. And Will hadn't made a sound, hadn't protested being dragged away, hadn't asked where they were going. He had just followed and when James had kissed him, he had kissed back with just as much force.

It was like they had both been trying so hard not to kiss each other that the moment they had their guards down that was the first thing they did. It had been sloppy and drunken and they had ended up on the floor. James couldn't remember most of what had happened only that it had.

And that it had been good. Even drunk, it had been so good.

He had lain on that classroom floor for what seemed like hours after, staring at the ceiling, his muddled brain trying to figure out what he had just done. Will had lain beside him, again not saying anything. At some point, Will had fallen asleep, leaving James awake and confused.

He hadn't stayed long after Will crashed, he barely even remembered making the decision to get up and move. All he knew was one minute he had been in the classroom and the next he was walking along the edge of the Black Lake. He had made his way to his place easily enough after that. James had found his cigarettes that he kept there and had sat in his place until the sun rose and then a little bit after that too.

This place, the overhang of rocks had become his spot.

And nearly two years later he was still sitting there, smoking and thinking about Will.

James let out a dry chuckle at that thought. When would he ever learn? When would he ever grow up?

But then a thought hit him that made his smile drop and made him take a long drag of his cigarette. This time the smoke formed into a darker shape, looking like a dragon with bared fangs.

Maybe he had grown, maybe he had learned and maybe Will had been a vital, unerasable part of that.

Maybe Will would forever be the cause of the aching in his chest. Maybe he had found someone that he was meant to grow with, like two trees winding together. Someone he was never meant to be apart from. That tearing them apart would kill them both. Maybe he was destined to forever be the boy by the lake, thinking about the boy with the blue eyes and he would never grow again.

But if he fought it, he would become gnarled and ugly, scared and scraped, never again whole. And each branch would forever hold a place for the ones that used to intertwine with them.

 **~oOo~**

"I think I need a haircut."

Pausing in the middle of brushing her teeth Rose looked over at Scorpius, raising an eyebrow at this sudden declaration. It was late, they were both in the middle of getting ready to go to sleep. He was standing next to her at the bathroom sink, frowning at the mirror in front of him, tugging on a piece of his long hair.

It had been growing out for a while now. The last time Rose could remember seeing it freshly cut was at the beginning of summer. His white-blond hair fell over his ears. It wasn't shoulder length yet, but it was close.

Instead of trying to reply with a mouth full of toothpaste, Rose finished brushing her teeth.

Scorpius looked at her in the mirror as she wiped her mouth. "It could use a cut," she agreed.

His frown deepened as he brushed his hands through his hair. Rose watched as the soft strands fell back into place.

"Yeah, but I think I want something different. I've had the same hairstyle for a while now. I'm getting a little sick of it."

Rose hummed and hopped up on the countertop to see him better, ignoring the knee brushing against his leg. "What are you thinking then?"

He turned his head this way and that, pushing his hair and messing it up, staring at the different looks he created. "Short, I think. On the sides at least. I definitely need to get it trimmed shorter on top but I like having long hair."

Rose frowned, "So like an undercut?"

At the blank look she got from Scorpius, Rose laughed. "It means that it's cut short on the sides but to top is left longer. Here, it'd look something like this." Rose scooted in front of him on the counter and started running her fingers through his hair. It was soft and smooth, almost mesmerizing to touch. Rose worked with it for a moment until she had brushed most of the hair on the sides of his head back, leaving the top loose. "Of course this is not really an accurate representation of what it would look like but it's close enough. What do you think?"

Looking down from his hair Rose stilled as she was meet by incredibly close stormy grey eyes. Her breathing hitched and she cursed herself. She had put herself in a rather provocative position. Her hands up in his hair, shifting her body closer, her legs spread so that he was standing between them. All that was needed was for him to grab her waist and pull her closer to complete the picture.

The look on his face was unreadable, the rest of his body tense and uneasy.

She blushed furiously. What had she been thinking?

"Urm. Sorry." She muttered, immediately turning away. Her feet made no sound as she moved to stand, putting a few feet between them.

Scorpius cast his eyes down, not meeting her gaze. Rose tilted her head a little as she looked at him, noting his expression. If she didn't know better she'd say he looked disappointed. "No, it's fine. You just surprised me is all."

There was a moment of silence. The air was thick with embarrassment and discomfort. The space between them now seemed impossibly large.

Dammit, Rose thought bitterly to herself. It was like she couldn't do anything right anymore. The last two days Scorpius had been withdrawn and awkward.

After spending all day watching him mope, she blurted out that whatever she had said or done to make him mad at her or uncomfortable she hadn't meant it. That she was sorry.

He had looked so startled, so taken aback Rose had wanted to smile. And she had, when the relief of his next words had hit her system, Rose had smiled. He had shaken his head and said that he should be the one apologizing, that she had done nothing wrong. That he had just been in a mood. This was followed with a badly aimed joke at himself.

She shook herself. Ok so she had made it awkward again, but that didn't mean she had to let it continue to be.

She suddenly smiled, "Come on."

Scorpius looked up at her and his brows furrowed at the outstretched hand she offered.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

Rose just continued to smile at him, "You'll see. Take my hand."

He hesitated for the briefest of moments, giving her an are-you-serious look. There was caution in his eyes and he appeared undecided. Rose continued to hold her hand out to him, her smile turning softer as she waited patiently for him. She saw the moment when he made his decision. Suddenly the playful impulsive Scorpius she was used to was back. He took her outstretched hand with a cheeky smirk, his warm hand clasping tightly around her own.

And with that Rose tugged him out of the bathroom.

 **~oOo~**

Rose watched Scorpius's eyebrows rise as item after item was tossed or placed in front of him.

"And you're sure you know what you're doing?"

Mary chuckled lightly behind him, her smile wide. "I've worked with my mom in the Salon my whole life Malfoy. I know how to cut hair."

"Yeah, but guys hair?"

Mary shrugged behind him as she placed another tool on the counter. "I do mostly cut woman's hair but I have done some guys hairstyles and I have had professional training so I get the general gist." When Scorpius didn't look reassured, Mary smirked. "Don't worry, your hair is safe with me. It is an easy style that I've done before."

They were in the sixth year girl's dorms now. Scorpius sat in the middle of the room in an armchair. In front of him was a desk which Mary was using to place her tools on. A mirror sat floating just behind the desk, giving Scorpius a clear view of himself and Mary who was bustling around behind him.

Rose was lying on her stomach on her old bed, arms propped up behind her head, her feet kicking back and forth in the air. Her eyes were trained on the display in front of her. She smirked as Scorpius met her eyes in the mirror and he gave a playful glare back as if to say, why have you done this to me.

"So this charm you talked about," Mary looked at Scorpius in the mirror at his hesitant question, "Are you are sure that it'll work? You won't touch me?"

Mary shook her head, raising her hands and showing him the faint blue light that pulsed around them. "It's a foolproof charm Malfoy. Just like a pair of gloves, but better. It makes it so I'm not actually touching you by putting a small amount of air between us. When I do this," she reached out and touched his shoulder, smiling wider when he didn't flinch in pain, "I'm not actually touching you because to charm keeps us separate by that small amount of space."

"Why have you never told me about that before?" Rose asked from her place behind them.

Mary shook her head, "I just didn't think about it. There's been no need for me to have contact with you. Would it have helped you if I had?"

Rose shrugged, "I suppose not, but it would be nice not to have to tiptoe around people."

"You know it only really works on your hands right? It's a glove charm, not a space suit charm. Though that would be cool." Rose just shook her head at Mary as the girl threw a teasing grin over her shoulder.

The girl turned back to Scorpius and clapped her hands, rubbing them together with a giddy look. "Alright, now let's get started."

It took about two hours. The undercut didn't take too long but the top did. Mary would make a cut and then ask if he wanted something shortened or trimmed. Rose dozed off somewhere along the line, her head resting on her arms, her legs falling to the mattress.

 **~oOo~**

Scorpius glanced at the bed in the mirror, smirking when he saw a passed out mess of curls.

"She's down for the count," he commented softly causing Mary to look up.

The girl smiled fondly as she turned her head to look behind her at Rose. "She must be exhausted. She never just falls asleep like that."

Scorpius sighed, crossing his ankles and getting a little more comfortable while Mary wasn't cutting his hair. "Yeah, she's been staying up late into the night. I don't know why. I don't think she knows that I know she isn't really sleeping. She gets uptight when she thinks I notice things like that." He sighed again, closing his eyes, "It's frustrating. She won't let me worry about her or ask questions about how she's doing. It's gotten better since her collapse but she's still withdrawn. Cautious about everything."

He opened his eyes, meeting Mary's gaze in the mirror. The girl was giving him an odd knowing look.

"What?" Scorpius asked, frowning at her.

Mary just shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Nothing it's just," she tilted her head, "you really care about her don't you?"

It sounded like a question but judging by the look in her eyes it wasn't really one. Scorpius sighed again, running a hand down his face. "That obvious?"

Mary shook her head again, going back to work on his hair. "No, not really. Well," she paused, smirking at him in the mirror, "at times it is but I think you have to know it's there to really see it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Scorpius watched pieces of hair drift down through the air. "How did you know?"

Mary smiled as she continued to snip at his white blonde hair. "I think it's because I've been around Rose enough to see when a guy is interested in her. But maybe it's really because I wanted there to be something."

Scorpius frowned at her, "What do you mean?"

She glanced at him before looking back to her hands, "You're a good guy Scorpius, not to mention attractive." He smirked at her in the mirror, getting a knowing smile back, "You're Albus's best friend, you've known Rose since you were eleven, you've both had this bickering thing going on for years which sometimes seemed more like playful banter. Call me a romantic but I thought you two would be so cute together."

"But we were always fighting? How would that make us cute together?"

Mary shook her head, "Maybe I just wished it into existence, but you've always seemed like a good pair. your personalities complement each other. You're impulsive, she over thinks things. You can make Rose do things that she would never normally do. She can make you consider the consequences before you leap. She is intuitive while you sometimes overlook obvious things right in front of you." She smirked at his glare, "As I said, you balance each other out. Rose needs to learn to live a little, you need to learn when to stop playing around. It's an art. Plus you may be the only bloke Albus will ever let near Rose."

Scorpius smiled at that last bit, "I just may be."

"So," Mary said, running her hand through his hair to look at what she had just cut, "The real question is, when are you going to tell Rose you have feelings for her?"

Scorpius paused, swallowing at the intense look Mary was giving him. He shook his head, "I don't- I can't- Just it isn't a good time Mary. Rose is still on edge about all this, she's still getting used to being normal around me. How can I go throwing my feelings in?"

Mary frowned, going back to cutting, "I get that Scorpius, but I don't think hiding it from her is a good idea. She would rather people just say how they are feeling, which is kinda hypocritical because she has a bad habit of withdrawing and cutting people off when they get too close." She sighed and looked back up at him, "But she is trying. Give her time and she will come around completely."

Scorpius shook his head, "be that as it may I don't think she'll be okay with this. She obviously doesn't feel the same."

Mary snapped her head up and stared at him harshly in the mirror, "why on earth would you say that?"

He blinked at her a few times, "Mary she's hated me for most of the time I've known her! She's only now warming up to me and even still she's made it very clear that she just wants to be friends. She's still holding me at arm's length. We get too close and she freaks out. You should have seen her before coming here, she completely pushed me away! That is not a girl who has feelings. Or would be alright with me having feelings."

Mary was giving him that knowing look again. "What?!"

She shook her head, "Nothing."

"Mary."

She laughed lightly, making sure not to be too loud as not to wake the sleeping redhead, "This is not something I can really help you with Scorpius, I've said all that I can. You and Rose need to figure out your own crap. You don't need me."

"But you know something." He accused, narrowing his eyes at her.

Again she shook her head, "I do, but that is because I'm good at picking things up. Plus, I'm on the outside of this mess. I don't have a million thoughts and feelings to sift through before I figure things out.

"Can't you just tell me?"

"Nope," She popped the word, making it sound far too childish and playful.

Scorpius glared, "If you didn't still have half my head to do I'd walk away from you right now."

Mary laughed.

 **~oOo~**

A warm hand gently shook her shoulder waking Rose up. She turned slowly onto her side, blinking sleepy eyes up at her waker. She stilled though when her eyes fell on Scorpius's face.

God, he's hot. Was the first thing Rose thought, her wide eyes staring up.

Scorpius had had the same hairstyle for a long time now, Rose had never seen it be anything other than varying lengths of white blonde. Now though. _God._ Rose felt her face warm for no particular reason other than how bloody attractive the man in front of her was.

His handsome angular face, his high cheekbones, his straight nose, everything about his face seemed amplified by the haircut. The sides were clipped short just like he wanted it and the top was styled like he had just gotten off a broom and ran his hands through it.

God, Rose thought again, this is so unfair.

"What do you think?" Scorpius asked, smirking.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. He knew he was hot, even though he was playing it innocent now.

She sat up. "Looks good," was all that she trusted herself to say.

We're just friends, we're just friends. She kept repeating in her head. But he is so hot. Said a little annoying voice in the back of her mind.

There was a loud snort from her right and both she and Scorpius looked over. Mary glanced at them in the mirror as she cleaned up her stuff, smirking, "He looks hot Rose. We all know it, don't act like he isn't."

Rose glared while Scorpius chuckled, his smirk growing all the wider. "Why thank you, Alcott. You're not so bad yourself."

Rose elbowed him in the stomach, feeling the twinge in her own side. _So worth it,_ she thought.

Mary just shook her head at them. "It's late. I hate to be the responsible one," Rose snorted her agreement to that, "but we have early classes tomorrow. Better be getting back to your dorm."

Rose stood, grabbing her coat from the bed, "Thanks, Mar." She gave her friend a smile, moving over and giving the girls still charmed hand a squeeze.

Mary just smiled back, "No problem, Ro. Honestly, I should be thanking you, it's been far too long since I got the chance to cut hair. It felt good. Maybe you'll want a change too sometime?"

Rose chuckled at the hopeful hint to the question. Mary had been wanting to get her hands on Rose's hair forever, "I don't think so Mar, I like my hair the way it is."

The blonde girl sighed dramatically, "a girl can try."

"Night."

"Night," Mary called after them, a smile lingering on her face as the door to the dorm shut softly.

"That took bloody well forever." Came the muffled voice of Ashley from behind her curtains. "Next time, no late night haircuts."

"Of course Ash my darling." Mary chuckled before flicking her wand and turning out the lights.


	19. Chapter 19

**Guess what's coming next chapter. THE BALL!**

 **Hella BIG Thank You to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her and her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 19**

 **December 19th**

 **Thursday**

 **~oOo~**

Books lined the walls from floor to ceiling. The windows that broke up the long lines of tomes allowed for the light of that Thursday morning to drift lazily in. The back corner of the library, though mostly used for studying and work was occupied today by five giggling and sometimes arguing girls.

"You can't have that hairstyle! I called it weeks ago!" Grace yelled across the table at Lizzy who was holding up a copy of Witch Weekly.

"Fine!" Lizzy threw the magazine back on the pile, "I'll just wear my hair down then!"

Mary frowned, "You can't do that. It would look all wrong with your dress."

Lizzy glared at Mary, "But my hair is too thick, there is no way it would stay up in any of these crazy updos."

"What about a wrapped braid? Like this?" Ashley held up another magazine from the stack.

Lizzy grabbed the magazine and studied the picture. She sighed, "That could work, but I don't have enough hair potion left to make my hair that smooth."

"You can borrow some of mine," Rose jumped in.

Mary wacked Rose with her notebook, "Oh no you don't! You'll need your entire supply to smooth out those untamable curls. Lizzy, you can borrow mine."

Though the girl sat back with a sigh and an unhappy look the issue seemed to be settled.

"Alright," Rose said, glancing at her watch before standing, "I've gotta get going."

Mary pouted as Rose moved to pack up her stuff. "But Ro, we haven't finished finalizing everything. Tomorrows' the Ball and everything needs to be perfect."

Rose smiled and shook her head at her friend. "Mary we have gone over everything about a hundred times. We'll all look gorgeous." She swung her bag over her shoulder, sending a wink along with it, "how could we not with you in charge."

Mary smirked, looking pleased and making shooing movements with her hands. "Fine go. And take your kiss ass remarks with you."

Rose blew her a kiss.

"Bye girls," Rose called, walking backwards and waving. She laughed when Lizzy made puppy eyes at her and mouthed, "Take me with you."

Smiling wide and feeling giddy, Rose walked through the stacks of books in the library, passing only a few students on her way from the back corner.

After about two hours of talking about nothing but hair and makeup for the Ball, Rose thought she'd be in a worse mood. But today she couldn't seem to shake this feeling of contentment she had, like everything was okay and she had nothing to worry about. It was odd, she had never felt so at ease, at least not at Hogwarts with school work and essays breathing down her neck.

That morning she had woken up after a good long nights rest to the sun casting its beams into the room causing everything to shine. It was a promise of what would no doubt be a beautiful sunny Thursday and Rose had just smiled. In two days she would see her family again and just the mere thought of all her family made her want to never stop smiling.

Rose ran her fingertips lightly over the spines of the books as she passed, breathing in the comforting scent of paper and ink, old books and leather bindings.

She stopped though as she came to the end of the row, looking around at the clusters of tables in the main sitting area, frowning when she didn't spot who she was looking for. There was a surprising amount of students in the library today, some doing some last minute studying but most sat around talking softly.

 _"Hey, we need to go so we aren't late. Where are you?"_ There was a moment's pause before suddenly Rose's vision was blocked by a pair of hands.

She stilled for a moment before chuckling.

"Guess who?" Rose twirled around, smiling when she was greeted by Scorpius's smiling face.

"Hey," she said, keeping her voice low, "did you get some work done?"

They started walking, passing by tables and chairs. "Yeah. Managed to get almost everything I need. I think I've finally caught up on History of Magic, who knew you could miss so much for only being gone a few days."

The doors to the Library shut softly behind them and they were greeted by the cold air of the halls. Rose shivered slightly wrapping her cloak more tightly around herself. "Well it doesn't help that you like to take your afternoon naps during that class does it? Maybe if you focused you wouldn't have to spend your Saturdays in the library." Rose said teasingly.

Scorpius mocked looking offended, "It's not my fault," he exclaimed, "It's so nice and warm in there and I swear professor Bins tries to put us to sleep. Anyway, why would I need to focus when I have a walking study guide right here."

Rose laughed.

Scorpius watched her as she chuckled, his eyes soft, his own smile present. "You seem happy today," he commented lightly, looking away.

Rose glanced over at him, her smile softening, "I am." She took a breath, "It's odd, I'm usually really anxious this time of year with the ball and all, but this year it just makes me feel... I don't know.. excited. I'm not stressing out about my dress or hair or anything. It's nice not to worry actually, not to plan everything out to the last detail, to leave somethings up in the air."

She looked over at Scorpius, "Never thought I'd say that."

He was smiling at her now, looking thoughtful, "You are just full of surprises aren't you?"

Rose smirked, "Glad you finally noticed."

They were quiet for a moment before Rose spoke again, "Anyway what do you think Healer Lynde wants with us today? It couldn't possibly be more training could it?" She groaned, "God I hope it's not more training."

Scorpius chuckled, "I don't think we'll be doing anything today. I think she just wants to get one last check-up in before we leave for the Holidays. You know, to make sure everything is okay."

They turned a corner and soon the Hospital wing was in view. "Well I for one will not be missing this place when we leave," Rose said and Scorpius chuckled as they pushed open the large glass doors.

Scorpius was right as it turned out, it was just a normal check-up. He went with Madam Pomfrey behind his curtain and Rose worked with Healer Lynde. It wasn't a long session, just the typical wand waving, questioning, and scribbling on clipboards.

"And that should be it for now." Rose nodded and shrugged on her cloak again, running her hand through her hair.

"Do I check out?" Rose asked.

The Healer smiled at the girl, "yes Rose you check out. Everything seems to be in order." The woman looked over her clipboard, scribbling a few things down before reading what she had written.

"Brilliant." Rose hopped to her feet, ready to get out of the white-walled room and back to enjoying her day.

"Not so fast Rose," Healer Lynde said looking up from the paper, motioning for her to sit again. "There's something I need to talk to you and Scorpius about."

Rose's smile and mood dropped for the first time that day, "But you just said everything was fine."

"Yes, I did. This is not something bad, Rose. I'll explain in a second."

Just then the curtain that separated Rose and Scorpius during their check-ups swished away and Rose was able to see the blonde again. She looked away quickly, feeling the slightest blush painting her checks at the sight of Scorpius. His hair which had been styled nicely before coming in was now messed up and a little wild looking. It looked good styled, but man did it look hot messed up.

"Take a seat Scorpius," the Healer said, motioning to the bed where Rose sat. "I have something to talk to you two about."

Rose rolled her eyes as Scorpius jumped over the bed and landed bouncing beside her.

Madam Pomfrey moved about behind them making her own notes about the visit.

"Now," Lynde said to get their attention again, "as you know over time the bond settles and relaxes allowing for the bonded to live a more normal life. As we have tested, you two are able to get significantly farther away from each other without discomfort than when you were newly bonded."

Rose nodded, already knowing this.

"But that is not the only thing that has relaxed over time," Lynde smiled brightly, her eyes dancing, "I am saying that as of today's scans of your bonded souls you should be, by all reasoning, able to make contact with others."

"What?!" Both Rose and Scorpius said together, staring at the Healer.

Rose looked over at Scorpius and met his gaze. They stared at each other for a moment then at Healer Lynde, then back at each other.

This was the best news she had all day. The one thing Rose had not gotten used to about the Bond was the inability to touch other people.

She had never known how much physical touch mattered until she couldn't do it anymore. It was torture being forced to sit at least a few feet away from friends or family to make sure she didn't brush shoulders or elbow anyone. She couldn't hug anyone or receive any hugs in return. The only person she could touch was Scorpius, and it wasn't the same. But that was over now!

"We really can touch other people now?" Her words were breathy and hopeful.

The Healer chuckled, "Yes, if the scans are right then you two should be able to make contact with whoever you like. However, I need to test it before you go and start hugging all your friends and whatnot."

Rose laughed and nodded, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Alright I'm going to hold out my hand and you will just lightly touch my fingers okay? Tell me if you feel any pain at all. It will most likely still be a little uncomfortable, and you won't be able to make contact for long periods of time but that will pass in a few days or a week at most. Right, whenever you're ready."

Healer Lynde held out her hand. Rose looked over at Scorpius again and found hopeful eyes. He smiled and nodded for her to go ahead. Rose hesitantly reached out with her own hand and after taking a breath gently touched her fingers to her Healer's.

There was a moment in which no one moved. Rose closed her eyes, focusing on her fingertips and where they were lightly making contact with Lynde's. She felt nothing, no pain or agony. Just the slightest discomfort and the smooth feel of her skin. Rose opened her eyes and smiled. Emboldened she moved her hand a little farther until she had the other woman's hand in her own, grasping it lightly then more firmly.

Rose laughed, "It works! Merlin, it really works!"

Scorpius bounced up and down on the bed next to her, letting out a delighted laugh. His side pressed against her and she could feel his laughter vibrating through his chest. The sound and feel of it made Rose laugh too, her eyes prickling with tears again.

She looked up at the Healer, matching the women's smile with one of her own. Rose shook the hand that was held in hers. "Thank you, Healer Lynde." She said softly, trying to tell the woman how much she appreciated all she had done for them in just a simple handshake and four words.

"Of course Rose."

Rose's eyes suddenly lit up, "I've gotta tell the girls! They were worried that we might get hurt at the dance from bumping into someone. Oh! Mary is going to be ecstatic!"

Scorpius nodded, "Albus will want to know too."

Healer Lynde laughed again, "Well you two are free to go." She paused suddenly and looked about, "oh Rose I almost forgot, I brought something for you." She stood from her seat and walked over to the side table where her bag was sitting. After digging around in it for a moment she pulled out a small stack of leather-bound books, all in varying sizes and shades of green. "Here," she said, passing over the books, "my mother's journals like you asked. Keep them as long as you like, just make sure to take care of them."

Rose took the books gingerly, staring wide-eyed at the beautiful covers. She bent and carefully slipped the books into her bag. "I'll take good care of them I promise. Thank you."

Healer Lynde merely waved her hand, "Don't mention it, Rose. Now go on you too. You're done. Have fun."

With that Rose jumped up from the bed and after sending a quick thank you to Madam Pomfrey she and Scorpius went in search of their friends.

 **~oOo~**

The rest of the day turned into a spree of laughing and hugging, high-fiving and rugby tackles. When they ran into a small group of Gremlins and Scorpius told them the news, Rose had watched as Will and Augustine attacked Scorpius with claps on the back and bear hugs, while Eva and Annabel did some stupid handshake thing that was their group's version of the high-five.

Rose had found the girls almost immediately after leaving the Hospital wing and the squealing and hugs that had transpired from their meeting had lasted a long time.

But as the day went on and they found more and more of their friends and family to tell, they still couldn't seem to find Albus. The boy seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

They even ventured outside, and while it was sunny that day that didn't stop it from being almost unbearably cold. After about five minutes they had both conceded that Albus would most likely not be out in the snow.

The castle, though not quiet, was laid back today. Students wandered around the halls, going from place to place, some sat in the Great hall with friends, and some opted to stay in their common rooms.

Rose found it peaceful as she and Scorpius walked about, passing a few students now and then.

"Where do you think Al is?" Rose asked after wandering down the same hallway for a second time.

Scorpius shrugged, "I haven't a clue. I mean, we checked everywhere he normally hangs out. Do you know of anywhere else?"

"Nope."

Scorpius looked thoughtful. "If only I had the map."

Rose looked over at him, "James would let you just use it?"

Again he shrugged, "It's not supposed to be his solely. Mr. Potter gave it to Albus and James. And Lily of course but she has no use for it. Anyway, James just sort of took it for his own, he keeps it in his dorm and stuff but that doesn't mean he doesn't let us use it."

Rose nodded, frowning, "Where is James anyway? I haven't seen him all day either." Rose groaned, "great now I have two Potters that I'm worried about."

"Yeah about Albus, he's still acting weird isn't he?"

They turned a corner again, walking into a less brightly lit corridor. They were wandering about now with no real destination in mind.

"Yup, still being all elusive and whatnot."

It was Scorpius's turn to frown, "I'm getting worried. He's never done this before, just shut down and avoided everyone. It isn't like him. I'm starting to think this goes past being upset about Abby."

Rose hummed, "I honestly don't know."

They were silent for a little while, both just walking side by side down the halls. It was nice, just getting to chat and walk, not needing to do anything else.

Rose glanced over at Scorpius from time to time, always finding him looking somewhere else, his face calm.

Rose didn't know what had happened the other night when she had fallen asleep during his haircut, but she had a feeling Mary had talked to Scorpius. He seemed different, better, like he had figured things out. Whatever Mary had said or done Rose felt the need to thank her.

But it did leave Rose wondering what she had said.

It was probably something about the growing friendship between them. She was growing closer to Scorpius, and Rose didn't know what she wanted to do about it.

Rose was finding herself wanting to talk to Scorpius, to tell him things she never wanted to tell anyone but her closest friends and family. And even then maybe things she would never say to them. She found herself wanting to lean on him for support when she needed it. She found that while they had a lot of differences that they were also so much alike.

She thought maybe they were becoming true friends. And maybe they were even becoming best friends.

It was all so confusing in her mind. She wanted to be close to Scorpius but she also wanted to keep her distance. It was a balancing act that she knew she was losing. The more time she spent around him the more she wanted to be around him. Everything about him was drawing her in and she knew she was starting to let it. Every time she looked at him her stomach would flutter just a little and every time she found herself thinking about him she was smiling.

Rose found herself wondering what all this meant. Did this mean she liked him? That on some small level in her mind she was feeling something for Scorpius that wasn't just friendship?

Rose wasn't stupid, she had read enough about the bond to know that they were not supposed to be just friends, but up until this point, Rose had tried not to think about it. She hadn't trusted Scorpius or liked him not that long ago. How could she have gone from that to having feelings? She couldn't have, right?

But then Rose thought about the man she had grown to know over the last month and she could not deny that there was something there. She knew that there could be something between them if they wanted there to be. And Rose found herself not pushing the idea away as vigorously as she might once have.

Somewhere along the line, he had become her person, her best friend and though she didn't allow herself to think it, her soulmate.

The thoughts running through her head made Rose feel a little panicked.

She looked over at Scorpius again to find that he was still not looking at her.

Rose watched him for a moment, and for those few seconds, she allowed herself to think about what it would be like to be with him. He was sweet and gentle, he was funny and loud, he was a lot at times but he was also compassionate and cared. Rose knew that if they were ever anything more than friends that he would treat her well. Then Rose wondered why; just because they were good friends and she cared about him why did that mean they would date? A lot more then that went into wanting to date. Even if they both did want to, did that mean they should? Did she really want to? And as a small part of her wanted to say yes Rose found herself wondering what that meant.

They walked past old classroom after old classroom, either speaking still, Scorpius being completely unaware of the war waging in Rose's mind.

But as Rose looked over at Scorpius again from under her lashes she felt a jolt go through her when she saw he was already looking at her. She felt a smile pull at her lips and he smirked back, a small lock of hair falling into his face.

And that was when Rose decided that today was not the day to worry about these things. Because Scorpius was here with her now and they were happy. And besides all that, Rose had woken up today saying that she would take things in stride today and be happy for once and not worry. She had allowed herself five minutes of intense worry and now she was done.

Feeling brave and emboldened Rose did the one thing she knew she wanted to do. One thing that would make herself happy.

Scorpius looked over at her as Rose's hand slipped into his.

Rose merely smiled, pulling him slightly as they moved on down the hall, past students and paintings and everything else watching them. And in answer to his raised brow, Rose shrugged, "my hand was cold. I can let go if you want."

He held on tighter.

 **~oOo~**

 **James' POV**

James walked steadily down the hall, the torches flickered around him and the sounds of owls outside the walls were distant. Though it was chillingly cold James was not dressed very warmly, with only a light sweater on over his button up. Normally he would be freezing, but the dark-haired wizard found the biting cold calming.

He was heading back from the kitchen, where he had just eaten after missing dinner. He had missed lunch as well and his stomach had been complaining too much for him to ignore.

Though the house elves had been very kind and had given him anything he wanted, he hadn't managed to get down more than a sandwich and some water.

James was a mess. He missed his morning classes because he had woken up at four that morning, and when he couldn't fall asleep again had decided to go for a walk on the grounds. He had ended up walking for hours and hours. When he finally came back to himself it was too late for his classes.

He was also avoiding his friends. It seemed that whenever he saw them a certain blonde was always mixed into the group. It was becoming a habit now to jump behind students or duck into an alcove in order not to be seen. It was tiring and James found himself alone most of the time, which wasn't good for his overactive brain.

Running a hand through his hair, James realized that unless he wanted to get sick just before heading home for the holidays he might want to get out of the cold.

He had just turned the corner and started down the hall to the tower when he stopped in his tracks, eyes focused on the end of the hall.

He felt his breath grow faster and more ragged. His heart gave a painful beat in his chest and his feet felt glued to the floor. His mind seemed to go blank, everything that he had been thinking about and worrying over evaporated as he stared across the hall.

Will was there, sitting on the ground outside the Gryffindor common room, a thick black cloak thrown over his shoulders.

His head was tilted back against the wall, his arms resting on his bent knees, eyes closed.

James stood there for a moment, taking in the sight of him, trying not to notice the sharp jawline that was accentuated by the angle of his head or the soft curls that fell into his eyes.

James didn't know why Will was there sitting outside his house, but he had a feeling that he didn't want to. He knew that he had to move, to get out of there before Will noticed him. His legs, though they felt like jelly moved back a step. He tried to be quiet, but he must have made some noise for as he moved, eyes still trained on the end of the hall, for Will opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side, eyes locking with James's.

They stayed there for a moment, staring before a small smile pulled at lips James had tried so hard to get out of his mind.

"Hey."

Though it was just a simple word, a soft greeting, James found his mind going into overdrive trying to figure out if there was an underlying meaning behind it.

"What are you doing here?" James winced at how gruff and emotional his voice sounded. All the smoking he had been doing didn't help, and he cursed the fact that he couldn't sound unaffected by the sight of Will.

A frown appeared on Will's face and as he stood his eyes never left James's. "You sound terrible. Do you feel okay? Are you sick?"

James clenched his jaw as the young man in front of him took a few steps forward. "I asked you what you are doing here?"

Will's own jaw clenched and the flash of pain in his eyes did not go unnoticed. His gaze flicked to the side for a moment, "I came to check on you. I haven't seen you in a while and you missed all your classes this morning. I was worried."

The torches flicked dimly around them, adding to the unease between the two boys. "It's not your job to worry about me," James said lowly, eyes hard as they looked at Will.

Will shook his head, "Don't be like that. Please." His eyes pleaded with him, "we were friends before all this happened James. Good friends. I care about you and I miss being around you. Can we not move past this? Can we not be friends again?"

They were quiet for a moment, neither talking until James breathed deeply, "No, we can't."

Will took another step forward, coming closer than James would like, "Why not? James it doesn't have to be this way between us. We don't have to be distant and cold. I don't want that. You were one of my best friends before; is there no way for us to be that again?"

The moon hung low outside the window, it's pale light casting stripes of light on the floor and walls.

"How can you even ask that?" They had moved closer to each other, now standing only a few feet away.

"Because I think we are strong enough to get past this. Why can't we?"

Will looked elegant and regal in the moonlight. Half of his face was lit by the pale light while the other by the golden hue of the torches. It was like he was trying to draw James in just by being. Everything about him was calling out to James, screaming at him for ever giving Will up.

The hall was eerily quiet, not a sound was heard. It was like the world had hushed everything, demanding silence so it could hear what would happen next.

"You worried I'd make a move on you, didn't you?" Will's voice was quiet. "Worried that I will try and get you back. That's why you don't want to be around me?"

James didn't say anything to this. It wasn't that Will was right, rather that a part of James wanted that to be the reason instead of the real one. He knew why he couldn't stomach to be around Will if he couldn't have him. He knew without a doubt in his mind.

"James." Will moved closer yet again and James tried not to be affected by his closeness. He tried not to think about how easy it would be to reach out and touch Will, to run his hands through his hair and over his body. "Jamie listen to me."

Jamie. James felt a smile pull at his lips at the sound of the old nickname. It was what Will used to call him when they were hanging out. James hadn't heard that stupid nickname in far too long.

The memories it brought with it made him feel warm. It reminded him of a simpler time, of two people who just enjoyed being around each other. Who were friends that made stupid jokes and loved pulling pranks.

Will's eyes kept catching the light as he gazed at him, making them dance. "You don't have to worry about me coming onto you. I've accepted that you don't want this, I've made peace with it. I just miss being around you. And I know you've been avoiding the group because of me and I don't want that. You need your friends." Will took a breath, looking down for a moment, "And if you think that you can't or won't be friends with me again then I'll back down. I'll leave you alone and try to stay out of your way." He looked up again, eyes resolved, "even if that means I need to leave the Gremlins."

James felt his eyes widen, "What?!" Suddenly James forgot about things being awkward between them and took a step forward, "Will you adore the Gremlins. Why would you ever leave them?"

A small smile played across his lips, "Because I adore you more than any group. And if what you need to be happy again is to not see me around as much, then I'll do whatever I need to do. I just want you to be happy Jamie. I would love to stay in the Gremlins, I would love for us to move past this and be friends. I would love a lot of things." His eyes were soft and kind. Though he didn't say it, James could see the things he wanted to say, because they were things James himself wanted to say. But they both knew that if they went down that road, there was no getting out without heartbreak.

"No," James said softly, "no Will, don't leave the Gremlins, don't avoid me or the group." James couldn't stop himself from reaching out and pressing a firm hand on Will's chest, emphasizing his point. "I don't know if we can be friends but I don't want you out of my life, I don't want to not see you at meetings or when we all hang out together. It's really sweet of you to say all that but it's not right. I can't and won't ask you to give up things you love just to make me more comfortable. Because it wouldn't make me happy not seeing you." He took a breath. "I just need some time to work out my shit."

Will watched James for a moment before a smile pulled at his lips. His warm hand covered James' own as it rested on his chest, pulling it away and holding on to it for a moment. "Okay. I just... Can I ask one thing?"

James nodded.

"Are you alright? Really?"

James felt his heart warm. As much as he didn't want to care he did. Will being concerned for him, caring if he was okay, it made him happy.

"Yes, Will. I'm fine."

And James thought for the first time since that night in the Room of Requirement that maybe he really was fine. Or at least if not at the very moment, in time that he would be.

Will's smile spread, "Alright then. It's late, I'll let you get some sleep."

He turned to go, hand slipping for James'. James felt a pang go through his chest and in another second he was reaching out and grabbing Will's hand again, bringing him to a stop.

Before Will said anything, James was moving forward and without hesitation. He leaned up and pressed the softest of kisses to Will's check.

"Thank you for caring."

And with that James let go of Will's hand and moved away, turning and walking down the corridor towards the portrait of the fat lady. If he hadn't looked over his shoulder a moment later, eyes focused on Will who was still standing there smiling, James would have seen the movement in front of him.

He would have seen that the portrait hole door was open just the slightest. He also would have seen the wide startled bright green eyes staring out before they disappeared and the portrait closed softly.


	20. Chapter 20 Part 1

**The Ball is Here! Happy Christmas Eva everyone.**

 **MASSIVE Thank You to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her and her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 20**

 **The Ball Part 1**

 **December 20th** **Friday**

 **~oOo~**

Scorpius looked up from his book to glance at his watch for the thousandth time. It was only four in the afternoon, no point getting ready for the ball yet. He threw his book haphazardly to the side and stood. He began to pace around his dorm. Rose had abandoned him at noon to start getting ready for the ball. Scorpius had jokingly asked what could possibly take them eight hours. She had laughed, "it will take half that time for all the hair potion to set."

So here he was, all by himself counting the hours until the ball. And counting the hours until he talked to Rose. Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. It had to be tonight, he had put it off far too long. He had rehearsed what he would say all week, so much so that he was surprised that it hadn't spilled over into his shared thoughts with her. Maybe he had hidden this secret so deep down it was impossible for her to detect. But he was done with that now, he was going to tell her tonight, no matter what.

Before they were surrounded by all their family. Maybe her parents wouldn't notice, but his would figure it out. Father would give him a knowing smile and probably spout unneeded advice. Mother would sit him down and grill him until he admitted all. It would be embarrassing, especially in front of Rose. And Scorpius didn't want to tell his parents his secret before he told her. She deserved to be the first one he told.

Just the thought of it though made his hands clammy and heart beat hard in his chest. He had tried to imagine Rose's response a thousand times. Everyone seemed to think there was something more between them, and her friends seemed to think it would be better to tell Rose the truth. But Scorpius was privy to Rose's internal thoughts, so he knew they were very conflicted. And he could still hear loud and clear Rose's "we're just friends" speech. She had been surprising him lately with her reactions to things, but this was one thing he was sure she wouldn't take well. Or maybe she would surprise him again. He just didn't know.

Scorpius stopped his pacing in front of the fire. This was driving him insane. He needed a distraction.

As if on cue there was suddenly a loud almost frantic knocking on the door, "Hey Scorp, it's Al. You there?"

Scorpius frowned at the door for a moment before walking over. Upon opening it Scorpius saw a very winded and panicked looking Ablus. Scorpius sidestepped as his friend quickly rushed in and pushed the door shut behind him.

Albus leaned up against the door for a moment and closed his eyes. Scorpius raised an eyebrow as Albus clutched at his chest, trying to catch his breath, wheezing as he stood there.

"Sorry to barge in on you like that," Albus breathed. He shifted and wouldn't look at Scorpius, "I was trying to avoid…"

His voice trailed off as if he wouldn't finish the thought. Scorpius just stared at him not sure what to say. Albus had avoided him for weeks and suddenly he appears in his room. What could he want? Was he going to yell at him again?

Scorpius noted Al's dress robes in his arms. Confused he asked, "aren't we getting ready with the other Gremlin guys?"

Albus swallowed hard and looked at the floor, running his hand through his hair, "could we just get ready here instead?"

The frown on Scorpius's face intensified. He was about to ask questions when Albus glanced at him quickly, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking away again. But in that moment Scorpius saw the pleading look on his friends face and he knew he couldn't say no.

Scorpius nodded. "Sure," he said as he walked over and flopped down on the couch gesturing for Al to sit down, "but it's too soon to get ready."

Albus flopped down next to him, a sudden spark forming in his eyes. Quickly he swung his bag from his shoulder and with Scorpius looking on sceptically, dug around for a moment before pulling out a long roll of aged and burnt parchment.

"That's why I brought this, so we can make the final adjustments." Albus gingerly unwrapped the parchment and before he had even laid eyes on the words Scorpius knew it was the project the Gremlins had been working on for the Ball.

Now Scorpius was suspicious, that project had last been in James's possession from what he understood and James would not just hand things over of this magnitude to Albus.

"Wasn't James and Fred making the last adjustments to it?"

Albus fussed with the package, "Umm, James is too… Busy… I thought maybe we could work on it instead."

When he just stared at him Albus continued guiltily, "I'll give it back to Fred when we are done."

Scorpius was silent for a long moment.

"Al, did something happen?"

Green eyes flicked away refusing to look at him. "No, of course not. I'm fine. Everything's good."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. Albus was truly a rubbish liar. Did he really think he could lie to his best friend and get away with it?

"Albus," Scorpius said pointedly.

He stared into the fire. "I can't tell you Scor," shaking his head, "this isn't something I can go around talking about. Just… Just leave it okay? It's my problem."

Scorpius watched him for a moment, studying the worry lines around his eyes and mouth, the hard press of his lips, and the dark circles under his eyes that meant a long sleepless night. He wanted to help, but he also didn't want to force Albus to avoid him again. Not when it seemed that he was finally talking to him again.

He tried one more tactic, "Al, are we ok? This isn't about me is it? Or Rose? We've both been really worried about you."

Albus gave his friend a sad smile. "We're okay Scorpius. This is something else, something different. You guys don't have to worry about me."

Scorpius snorted silently to himself. With everything that Albus had been pulling the last few days, the fact that he thought they wouldn't be worried about him was just another testament to how withdrawn he had become.

But Scorpius let it go anyway, knowing he couldn't pry if Albus didn't want him to, "Alright Al, I'll leave it. But you do know you can tell me anything right? Anything at all."

The shake of Albus's head was small and grim, "not this Scor. Not this."

There was a moment of silence that became awkward fast. Clearing his throat Scorpius made a dive at the secret Gremlin project, "alright, let's finish this. Hopefully, when we are done it will be time for us to get ready."

Three hours later the project was done, and Scorpius was standing in front of his mirror attempting to tie his tie. Why was this such a struggle? And why did he think it was a good idea to choose a bowtie instead of a regular one? He had enough trouble with normal ties without worrying about the bow being crooked or one side being larger than the other.

Albus walked into the bathroom wearing a black suit-like dress robe.

"Nice suit Al. Is it new?"

Al stood in front of Rose's mirror and started fussing with his hair, "Dad bought it for me. He said no one deserves to have a rubbish dress robe for the Yule Ball."

Scorpius chuckled. Mr. Potter loved telling the story of the hideous dress robe Mr. Weasley was forced to wear at his Yule Ball. Apparently, it was some hideous brown lacy thing with ruffles that only a hundred-year-old witch would wear. Each time Mr. Potter told the story, the dress got more and more ridiculous. One-time Scorpius had asked Mr. Weasley what happened to the thing and was told he had burned it.

Another attempt was made at tying the bowtie. Lopsided again. Frustrated, Scorpius ripped the thing off his neck and threw it on the counter.

Scorpius mumbled under his breath, "where's Rose when you need her?"

Albus smirked, "You are so hopeless. Let me help."

Scorpius rolled his eyes as Albus tied his bowtie for him. It was still a struggle, Albus had never tied a bowtie on someone else before, but eventually they had it figured out.

They both looked good. While Albus was decked out in his new sharp black dress robes, Scorpius had opted for something more muggle this year. He ran his hand down the front of his dark blue tux, straightening out any wrinkles. He smiled as he looked himself over in the mirror. If he wasn't mistaken he pulled off a tux pretty well. It reminded him of a movie Albus had made him watch once, something about this muggle spy.

"We better be heading down now," Albus commented, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Nodding, Scorpius took one last look at himself in the mirror then they left the dorm to go wait for the girls below.

The common room bustled with activity. Students decked out in fancy dresses and dress robes. Everyone was either waiting for their date or waiting up here for the Ball to start. Better to wait up in the common room than wait in the overpacked Entrance Hall. Scorpius scanned the room not seeing Rose or her friends; they must not have descended yet. He was glad they hadn't missed it. It was tradition, Rose and her friends would always walk down the stairs as if they were in some romantic fairytale with their date waiting for them at the bottom. This year though, most of their dates were in other houses. Except Rose of course. Scorpius, ever the gentleman, went to wait at the bottom of the stairs ready to fulfill his role with Albus tagging along.

They hadn't waited more than five minutes when suddenly he could hear giggling at the top of the stairs. He saw Mary poking her head out. She winked at him and disappeared out of sight.

The first girl to descend was Grace, her dark purple dress rippling as she walked down the stairs, her train gliding behind her.

Scorpius smiled at her, reaching a hand out to help her down the last few steps. "You look amazing," he said.

She smiled as she came to stand to the side of the stairs, "wait till you see the rest of them."

He didn't have to wait long because in the next second Lizzy was walking down in her dark emerald dress like a woodland fairy out of a storybook. Scorpius handed her down as well.

Next came Mary, who swatted Scorpius's hand away when he offered it. "I can walk on my own," she said cheekily. Scorpius chuckled, bowing and stretching out his arm motioning for her to go ahead.

At the sound of more footsteps, Scorpius looked up. The air rushed from his lungs at the vision before him. There she was, walking elegantly down the large staircase, her dress shimmering in the light, catching it and making her look like walking ice.

Her hair was pulled up in a loose bun and gentle auburn curls fell to frame her face. Though Scorpius didn't know much about makeup, he could tell hers was done masterfully. Her lashes appeared longer, her blue eyes were brighter, and her lips… no he shouldn't be thinking about those lips.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

When her eyes landed on him she gave him a sweet shy smile. Scorpius felt like his knees were about to give in, his heart pounding in his ribcage. Now, he really felt like the romantic lead of some novel.

He reached out his hand and took hers as she came to the last few steps. "You look… Wow," was all he managed to get out.

Rose laughed, and the light happy sound made his already over-beating heart warm even more.

"You clean up pretty well yourself," she said, eyes sparkling.

Scorpius was about to respond when out of the corner of his eye he saw the last girl descending the stairs. Though he had already seen Ashley in her dress back in the store, he couldn't help but think what an idiot Kile had been to ever give her up. Besides the fact that she looked amazing, her small shy smile really was endearing.

When Ashley reached the last few steps, it wasn't Scorpius who reached out a hand, but Albus.

Scorpius looked over at his best friend shocked. The fidgety, nervous guy from a few hours ago was gone and replaced with a warm friendly one.

"Thank you," Ashley said as she came to stand by Albus, giggling and blushing when the raven-haired boy bent and placed a kiss across her knuckles.

Albus smiled, "May I escort you to the ball?"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. Neither Ashley nor Albus had dates, both had been planning on going alone with the group.

Ashley's blush intensified matching the red of her dress, "of course. I'd be delighted."

Smiling charmingly Albus took a step back and raised his arm, offering it to Ashley who took it with a small laugh.

"Interesting," Rose murmured next to Scorpius, looping her own arm through his offered one.

"Very," chimed in Mary, eyes narrowed as she watched the two walk through the crowd. "I'm going to have to ask them what that was about."

"Oh leave them be," Grace chided as they all moved along behind them, "let them have some fun. They've both been a bit down lately and Ash deserves a fun night."

"Gracie, Gracie, Gracie. Always the practical one." Mary laughed as the shorter girl stuck her tongue out in protest.

Scorpius tuned out the rest of their conversation, his attention sliding unwilling back to Albus.

He was still worried about Albus. He had been acting so odd these last few days, doing things that were out of character for him. Originally, he had thought Albus was acting weird because of how close he and Rose were getting. But that obviously wasn't it because he said today that they were okay. And if it was about him and Rose, why did Al run away after Rose confronted him about Abby? However, it couldn't be just about Abby either, because Al said today that he had a secret that he couldn't tell anybody. And he had come to his dorm today to avoid someone. Someone in Gryffindor house, possibly someone in the Gremlins, because he didn't want to get ready with them either. This had turned into something bigger.

Scorpius knew Albus well enough to know he would not be able to keep this secret forever. Whatever it was that he was hiding, Albus would tell him eventually. If there was one thing Albus sucked at it was keeping secrets, and as previously stated he was a crap liar. But what secret was so bad that Albus couldn't tell him?

The whole situation made Scorpius mad at himself. Maybe he had been a bad friend to Albus this last month. With the Bond happening, had he pushed his best friend away? When had he become the person Albus kept things from?

There was a time when Albus would have told him anything, no matter how hard or bad it was. He had been the person Albus had trusted most in the world. He had been his closest brother.

For the past few days, Albus had barely talked to him or Rose. He hid from them and all their friends. His moods were turning off and on like a light switch, and he was acting unpredictable and reckless. Just yesterday Albus attempted to pull a prank on his own. Usually, Al would plan all his pranks with him. It was so unlike him to attempt a prank that big by himself, and worst of all, Albus had gotten caught. By a teacher. Scorpius wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't been there to witness it. Albus was truly not himself.

Then today, Albus bursts into his dorm acting all friendly like nothing had ever happened, and he escorts one of Rose's best friends like the had always been close enough to go to the ball together. It made no sense!

 _"I'm worried about him too."_

Her voice cuts through all the anxious worry, bringing his focus back to her. Scorpius turned to look at Rose who gave him a worried look back.

She continued speaking out loud, "I'm sorry I pried into your thoughts. It's just that your emotions were going all over the place and I didn't know if it was something I did or what, so I looked."

Scorpius shook his head. "It's fine. I could actually use your help with this. Did you see what happened this afternoon in my mind?"

"I did."Rose was staring hard at the back of her cousins head, eyes narrowed slightly in thought, "I have some theories, but I want to observe Al at the ball. I think we might get some more answers there."

Scorpius nodded. There was no point in worrying so much about this. Why should he be worrying about stupid things his best friend was doing when he had a beautiful woman on his arm? They were going to have a great night, they were going to have fun, and then he was going to tell Rose.

"You're going to tell me something?"

Scorpius blanched. Shit! How much had she heard? He turned to Rose who was blushing slightly. He then glanced up and saw Mary watching the pair of them.

"I do," he said softly leaning down to whisper in Rose's ear, "just not now okay?"

Rose glanced over at him, eyes calculating. Scorpius nodded towards Mary and Rose smiled in understanding.

"Alright," she said and then she smiled, "you ready for a lot of dancing?"

He smiled at the change of subject, "Always."

The halls of Hogwarts were even more festive than before. The group of friends passed by many singing knights and garlands of holly on their way to the ball. They passed a group of ghosts singing Christmas carols as well. As the seven descended the stairs to the entrance hall, the large doors leading to the Great Hall came into view, still closed until the start of the Ball in five minutes.

The house elves had really outdone themselves this year with the decorations. Even the entrance hall was spectacular. Deep red poinsettias were arranged on the ceiling with hundreds of tiny fairies dancing around them, like a living chandelier fluttering over the heads of the students. Light dusting snow also appeared to fall, melting before it reached the ground. On the door was a gigantic wreath with mistletoe berries with the biggest bow Scorpius had ever seen. Then, of course, there was the multitude of colours from all the different gowns and robes from all the different students gathered. Pure magic.

As the group made it to the bottom of the stairs, the other three girl's dates appeared, pushing their way through the crowd of milling students to get to their dates. Scorpius didn't know much about the different guys, but he knew enough not to outright object to any of them.

Mary quickly attached herself to her date, waving back at them before whisking her guy off into the crowd.

Grace blushed when her date bowed and offered his arm to her. She took it gladly.

Lizzy laughed as her date took her hand and had her twirl around. Her dress spun about her feet, and she smiled at him when she came to a stop.

Scorpius looked around at all the students before his eyes fell on Albus again. He still had Ashley on his arm, but his eyes seemed focused somewhere else and his gaze was hard and angry. Scorpius tried to follow it to see what was angering the Potter boy, but he couldn't see anything specific. Just lots of students packed in a cramped entrance hall, voices loud and spirits high.

Suddenly the large grandfather clock was sounding the hour, a hush fell over the crowd as the ringing echoed through the hall.

With the last ring, the doors to the Great hall opened. The crowd cheered, and the dance began.


	21. Chapter 21 Part 2

**Merry Christmas you guys. And if I don't see you again in the next week, HAPPY NEW YEARS!**

 **MASSIVE Thank You to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. She makes my story better for you guys. Definitely, go check out her and her story.**

 **And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are so amazing and I love you all. Thank you! xoxo**

 **Now on to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 20**

 **The Ball Part 2**

 **December 20th** **Friday**

 **~oOo~**

Scorpius led Rose into the Ball moving with the crowd through the double doors, the Great Hall slowly coming into view. The hall was transformed into an ice castle. Lights illuminated the place in shades of blue and white, ice sculptures adorned every table, the magical snow from the Entrance Hall extended into the space, and everything within sight was adorned with frost. There were even crystals hanging from the ceiling, catching the light and causing things to shimmer.

"Oh, it's so pretty," Rose said, "they did a really good job this year."

Scorpius had to agree, this theme was much better than last years which had been very red and over-the-top.

He looked over at her with a smile, "and you match perfectly."

She smiled back at him and they continued to walk into the space. Students were filing into the Hall, all laughing and talking. Some were starting for the dance floor, others for the buffet tables along one wall, others to the round tables in the back with the fancy ice sculptures.

In the front of the hall was a raised platform with a band Scorpius didn't recognize. It must be a popular band from the squeals and "oh my gods!" and "Merlin's!" he could hear from some of the girls. The music was lively and perfect for dancing.

As they moved through the crowds, they decided to head for the tables in the back where they found Mary and her date sitting at a table she had claimed for her friends.

"Do you want something to drink?" Scorpius asked before Rose could sit down.

"Yeah actually, that would be great."

He smiled and untwined his arm from hers and moved off through the students toward the food tables. When he came back carrying their drinks, more people had joined the table. Grace was there with her date and James was sitting talking to Rose.

Scorpius looked James over, noticeing that although he was smiling it looked a little too sad for a party like this.

"Hey James," Scorpius said standing behind Rose and handing her a glass, "how have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in a while."

James grinned a little, trying and failing to look at ease, "Yeah it's been a little hectic, what with NEWTs coming up in the new year. Been studying a lot."

Scorpius nodded, remembering the nightmare that had been OWLs and feeling sympathy for him.

"Oh! Hey, is everything still on for tonight? You got the package right?"

A genuine smile graced James's face and he nodded, a little bit of his normal spark returning to his eyes. "Yeah, everything's good. Thanks for your work on it. Eva and Augustine are in charge of making sure it goes off without a hitch."

Rose who had been sipping at her pumpkin juice narrowed her eyes at the boys, "what's going off without a hitch?"

James suddenly looked sheepish and rubbed at the back of his neck, "Nothing for you to worry that pretty little head about cuz." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of her head, "you'll see soon anyway."

But as he was leaning back, his gaze flickered to something over Scorpius's shoulder and his eyes flashed with pain. Scorpius frowned and looked as well, but the only thing he saw was that Katy, Annabell, and Will had entered the Great Hall, all dressed in their finest.

He looked back at James and saw his gaze dart away.

"Anyway," James said clearing his throat, his strained smile returning, "you guys have fun. I'm going to go mingle."

And with that he left the table and moved off into the crowd, heading in the opposite direction from the three Gremlins that had entered.

"That was a little odd," Rose said causing Scorpius to turn his eyes from the spot where James had disappeared into the mass of students.

"Yeah it was." He said slowly, his mind whirring.

Just then a new song came on and Scorpius saw Rose smile. He felt her emotions spike and he smiled as he realized that she liked this song.

"But this night is not about worrying about everyone else," he smirked at her and offered his hand, "May I have this dance?"

Rose laughed and put her drink down on the table before turning and taking his hand with a smirk, "you may."

With that Scorpius led her out onto the dance floor.

 **~oOo~**

The thing Rose loved most about the Ball was not the fancy decorations, the music or dressing up and looking pretty. It wasn't even getting to have a date. What she loved most about it was the dancing. Especially when it was with her friends.

They had found Albus and Ashley right away when they had stepped onto the dance floor and made a circle of friends that gradually grew bigger as more people joined the dance floor. Scorpius and Albus decided to have a contest of who could come up with the silliest dance move. Rose was practically in tears from laughing when Scorpius pulled a move that caused him to trip and fall. He lied there on his back for a solid minute laughing before proceeding to pretend like that had been his plan all along and started dancing rather impressively on the floor.

At one point the girls pulled her into a circle and all the girls danced to a number.

Song after song played. Friends came and went off the dance floor. Still, Rose was out there spinning and laughing in time to the music.

A loud song came to an end. Rose stood catching her breath from all the dancing, smiling and laughing. She made a joke about how she needed to get in more shape for all this dancing, but then Mary pointed out the student over from them that was flushed red and panting.

Suddenly the band announced a slow song. Some of the students groaned and left the dance floor. Rose shivered slightly as a person came up behind her and turning found Scorpius there with his hand extended to her. She blushed as she placed her hand in his. Smiling, he put a hand gently on her waist pulling her closer to him.

Rose tried to breathe normally as his silver eyes looked down at her. He looked so good tonight, dressed in a blue tux. When she had walked down the stairs in Gryffindor tower and saw him standing there, hair perfect and smile wide, looking like something out of those Muggle spy movies, Rose had felt her heart skip a beat.

"I don't think I've told you yet, but you look really good tonight," Rose said, feeling bold.

The smile on Scorpius's face quickly turned into a smirk and Rose sighed inwardly that she had said anything. His ego did not need stroking.

"Why thank you for noticing. I do look rather dashing, don't I?" It was not a question, but rather a teasing statement, one to which Rose rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't have said anything."

The smirk only grew, "But you did. You think I'm good looking, don't you?"

Though it was meant to sound teasing, Rose couldn't help but hear the edge of unease in it. While he was just teasing her, there was also a part of him that wanted to know.

Rose moved a little closer, "Yes I do." She smiled as his eyes widened slightly at her answer.

"Really?"

Rose laughed at the amount of surprise in his voice, "Scorpius, you know as well as I do that you're handsome. Don't act so surprised that my eyes work, pretty boy."

His smile was back, and he wasn't holding back the glimmer of happiness in his eyes. "Well, you are much prettier than me."

Rose rolled her eyes but she was blushing, "thank you."

They were quiet for a little while after that, both of them just swaying back and forth as the first song ended and a second slow song followed it. They seemed to move closer in that time, until Rose had her head resting on Scorpius's shoulder and his head was bent and pressed against the side of hers. Rose closed her eyes and her arms wrapped around his waist.

This was the closest they had been since the time they had first bonded and spent those first days sharing a bed in the hospital wing.

Rose found it beyond comforting. It felt so right, standing there with his arms around her. She knew this wasn't how friends danced, she knew they were getting some looks from their friends and other students, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

Because he was warm and strong, and she didn't ever want to leave. She had been a little worried about tonight, how they would act and how they would be, but now standing here she thought that she had nothing to worry about.

Things with Scorpius had turned so easy over the past few weeks. He was easy to talk to and be around. He was easy to like.

And while the soft song was playing, Rose thought that maybe he was a little too easy to like. Maybe it was so easy that she had done it without noticing. Like one day she had found herself smiling without a reason and realized she was thinking about him.

He was something worth smiling for.

"May I cut in?"

Rose raised her head to find Albus standing beside them, having snuck up on them while they were both not paying attention.

"Umm, yeah. Go ahead." Scorpius looked at Rose, "I'm going to get something to eat."

"Okay," Rose said softly feeling a little flustered at the thoughts she had been thinking.

"You two looked cosy," Albus commented lightly as they started to dance.

Rose glared slightly, "don't start Albus."

Al shook his head, "I wasn't going to. I-I think it's good. You seem happy."

Rose shook her head at him, "we're not together Albus. We're just friends."

Albus's look told her that he believed that as much as Hugo liked dancing.

"All I'm saying is that it would be okay," he took a breath, looking a little pained as he spoke, "if you two did start dating, it would be alright."

Rose tilted her head at him, "what's with the full 180? A few days ago, you were yelling at him for even looking like we were a couple. What changed your mind?"

Albus looked a little sad as he looked down at her. His gaze shifted to the side for a moment before they returned to hers. "I've just realized that life isn't as perfect or simple as we would all wish. That we need to find happiness wherever we can get it and hold onto it. I can see that he makes you happy. Don't let that go."

Rose frowned, "Albus…?"

He smiled, but even the smile was sad. "I'm fine Rose. Just… I'm sorry I've been avoiding you guys. It wasn't right."

Rose raised a hand to his cheek for a moment before dropping it, still frowning. "You don't need to be sorry Al. I should be, I was asking questions I didn't need to be asking."

He shook his head, "no it was just that I didn't have an answer. That was what freaked me out."

Rose thought back to what Scorpius had noticed this afternoon. Maybe Albus would admit his secret to her if she just asked. "Something's still wrong isn't it? It's not Abby this time. What's happened?"

Al gave a dry chuckle, "This Rosie is not the time or place. I first need to figure it out myself before I go telling anyone. And even then, it's not my secret to tell."

"But it's troubling you. You look stressed."

"I'll be fine once we're home."

Rose wanted to protest but the song had come to an end and Albus was pulling away. He bent and pressed a kiss to Rose's hand before leading her off the dance floor.

"Oh, by the way, Ashley is dancing with Kile. It's what I came over to tell you."

"What?!" Rose said as a louder faster-paced song came on and students started filling the dance floor again with cheers. "Why would you let him anywhere near her?"

Albus chuckled again, "because the guy was all but drooling over her and she said she could handle him."

"But why would you let her?!" Rose turned over her shoulder scanning the heads of dancing students trying to find her friend.

"Rose," she stopped and looked over at him, "she can handle herself. She said she had a few things she wanted to say to him and I'm not her keeper. If she wants to talk to him she can."

Rose blinked at him a few times, not believing what she was hearing. Where was the guy that had hexed Kile into the hospital wing for days because of what he had done? The guy who had threatened him that if he ever went near her again that he was dead meat? The Albus Rose knew would never let Ashley near Kile again.

"But he cheated on her!" Rose hissed, wondering if Albus had forgotten, "For weeks!"

"I know," Albus said raising his hands, "and I'm not saying they should or are getting back together. She's just talking to him. It's the first time she's spoken to him since they broke up. She had some things to get off her chest."

Rose slumped, sighing as she stared off into the crowd, "well I suppose if there is any time for them to be talking it's when she is wearing that dress and looking that good."

Albus laughed, "you should have seen him. Never seen a jaw hit the ground so fast." He shook his head, "Come on, I'll help you find Scor."

They both wandered over to the table Mary had reserved at the beginning of the night. Scorpius was there with a plate of food ready for Rose.

"Where's my food?" Al asked Scorpius indignantly.

"Get your own plate." Scorpius replied around a mouth full of sandwich.

Albus rolled his eyes and strolled off to the buffet table.

A few minutes later Ashley turned up at the table with a glass of pumpkin juice, her cheeks lightly flushed, "I think someone spiked this stuff."

"Let me try," Scorpius held his hand up for the glass. Ashley shrugged before handing it over and he sniffed it before taking a small sip. "Yeah it's spiked alright. Can't tell if it's a potion or alcohol." He handed the glass back to her, "I wouldn't drink it if I were you."

"Thanks," Ashley muttered before setting the glass carefully down, eyeing it as she sat.

Rose leaned into Ashley and whispered, "so how did it go with Kile?"

Ashley sighed, "he begged me to take him back. I told him I deserved better than him and I left him out on the dance floor alone."

Rose was surprised, "that's it?"

"All I'm going to tell you anyway," Ashley cheekily replied.

Rose huffed and opened her mouth to demand something more than that when Grace came up to the pair of them, "I need to go to the bathroom. Come with me."

There was a snort behind them and the girls turned to see Albus arrive at the table with his plate of food, "why is it that women always go to the bathroom in groups?"

"Hey," Rose indignantly replied, "my mom almost died when she went to the bathroom by herself."

Grace smiled, "Moaning Myrtle actually died."

The girls all laughed as they stood and walked arm in arm around the tables.

"Girls," Albus muttered as he sat.

Scorpius turned from watching the girls leave to face Albus, wanting to roll his eyes at their antics and get a laugh out of the raven-haired boy when he noticed Albus was suddenly angry again. Who was he looking at? Scorpius turned slightly and followed his gaze and saw James and Fred approaching the table.

"Are you done Scorp?" Albus asked quickly.

"Sure, but are you? You have a full plate."

Albus hopped up from the table, "Not hungry. Let's get back on the dance floor. I learned another silly dance move from one of the muggleborn students who claimed it's really popular with muggles right now."

Scorpius frowned but stood, following along behind Albus as the boy walked rather quickly away, looking back over his shoulders to shrug at the confused two behind him. As they moved through the crowd they ended up finding Hugo and Eva dancing together. They were leaning against each other, smiling and laughing.

It wasn't long before Rose and Grace found them.

Grace had to yell for the group to hear her, "you are never going to believe what we saw on our way to the bathroom."

"A troll?" Scorpius asked with a smirk.

"No, you idiot!" Grace replied with a shake of her head, "Mary was being told off by some teacher for snogging in the hallway!"

Albus rolled his eyes. "That's so not like her," he said sarcastically before grabbing Grace by the hands and spinning her about and preceding to dance like a maniac around her causing the girl to laugh.

They all danced together like they did in the beginning, as one big group and breaking up into couples when the slow songs were played. The ball was everything that Rose had hoped for, a fun magical night with all her friends.

All too soon, the second to last song was announced. To Rose's surprise, Scorpius took her hand and pulled her off the dance floor as the opening notes were played.

"What are you doing? It's almost the last song."

His smirk was wide, "remember at the beginning when we were talking to James?" When Rose nodded Scorpius smiled wider, "well it's going to start after the last song, so we need to get going."

"But what's happening?" Rose asked as she was pulled along behind Scorpius as they moved out of the Great Hall.

The cold air of the hall hit her exposed skin and she cursed herself for not bringing a jacket or a wrap.

"Here," Scorpius said pulling out his wand and moving it in a slow circular motion. In the next moment, a bubble of warm air appeared around them. "Better?"

Rose smiled over at him. "Much. Thanks."

They moved quickly up the stairs and through the halls. Rose had to walk fast to keep up with Scorpius's long strides.

When they finally came to a stop, it was on the fifth floor in a quiet corridor with large windows that looked out over the front grounds.

"Why are we here?" Rose asked, eyes looking past the glass and out into the cold night.

Scorpius was looking down at his watch, smiling. "Give it a minute… Annnnnd, now! Look!"

Rose, who had been looking over at Scorpius while he spoke, turned her gaze toward the window as an odd hissing sound was heard. She let out a gasp and her eyes widened as she spotted a bright red streak fly through the air, going higher and higher until right at the top it burst.

She laughed as the firework exploded and a massive lion formed from the sparks. It ran about for a moment in the sky, looking regal and proud, before fading and a bright yellow firework burst in the sky that turned into a badger. Then a blue raven was flying about, doing a show of flipping and diving before being replaced by an emerald green snake.

"They're so pretty." Rose murmured as a dragon lit up the sky, normal fireworks exploding around him.

"Yeah. Your uncle gave us some tips on how to make them last longer and glow brighter."

"You did this?"

His smile was amused, "it was the Gremlins. We've been planning this for months, wanted to end the year out with a bang."

"What do you mean my uncle gave you tips? You didn't just buy these from him?"

Scorpius laughed, "that would have been easier, but the group wanted to try their hand at fireworks and plus it means more if you make it yourself. You feel prouder. See that?" Scorpius pointed out the window as a large Scorpion graced the sky in sparks, "I made that one myself."

"Very original," Rose said sarcastically.

Scorpius grinned, "I take inspiration from things around me."

As Rose watched the sky she frowned when one of the smaller fireworks went off, the red sparks turning into a rose midair before disappearing.

"Why was there a rose?" She looked away from the sky and over to Scorpius only to find that he was already looking at her.

"That one was for you," he said softly.

Rose's frown deepened, "did you…"

Scorpius shrugged. "Albus helped," was all he said, his gaze moving suddenly back to the window.

Rose continued to frown. She didn't know if she was reading into things, but it seemed like Scorpius had made a firework for her. Suddenly, Rose wanted very much to know what he was thinking about. Another part of her didn't want to though, it seemed like those thoughts were likely to be more private than the ones earlier.

They were quiet for a little while, both watching the fireworks. Down below, Rose could see the light of the open front doors casting its beams across the snow as students came outside to see what was happening.

As Rose watched a horse prance across the sky, she admired the Gremlins' work. She was happy that instead of causing trouble that they had decided to do something pretty that everyone could enjoy.

Rose found herself leaning back against Scorpius, missing his warmth even with the bubble around them. His arm wound around her waist and held her gently. Rose sighed. This was perfect. The fireworks in front of them, the warmth of being next to him, the quiet when there was a break between the fireworks.

Rose closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds and she felt it, feelings of nervous anticipation coming from Scorpius.

She felt it build like a tidal wave heading for shore, growing larger and more coming quickly. Rose took a breath as it seemed like it was about to crash. She felt him calm himself a little, his breathing evening out and his heart rate slowing just a little. He was preparing himself to talk, to say what he wanted to say.

Rose turned to face him. His beautiful eyes gazed down at her, shining in the light of the moon. The fireworks outside kept exploding, lighting up his face in multiple colours each time. Rose stayed still as Scorpius raised a hand to her cheek, his smile soft and warm, his eyes wandering all over her face before focusing on her eyes. Even then they darted back and forth, looking like they were trying to taking in every inch of her at once.

"Rose, I need to admit something to you. Something that I need to tell you before we are surrounded by our families." His voice was soft and deep. They were standing so close Rose could feel it rumble through his chest. "Rose, I've known you for a long time now. You are a beautiful, brilliant, and passionate person. You're unbelievably suborn but also caring beyond words for those around you."

His hand moved down to clasp hers in his, holding it gently as he spoke, "my life changed forever when I met you. From the moment I laid eyes on you at the station, you've been in my head. You are unlike any person I have ever met and no matter how much you disliked me, to begin with, I couldn't help but want to be around you."

He gave her a soft smile, "And then we were bonded together, and I really got to know you. Deeply and intimately. I got to see your thoughts, your feelings, your likes and dislikes. We became friends. And every time you smiled at me it was like I was coming up for air after having been drowning all this time. I didn't know how much I needed your laugh and your smile, your words and thoughts until I had them."

"And when you were in the coma I felt like I was drowning all over again. I couldn't function without you there by my side. It killed me that you might not wake up. And in that time, sitting by your side I realized that I never wanted to feel like that again. Alone and like a piece of me was gone. Because with you here I don't feel so alone. You changed my life without even trying, and I don't think I could ever tell you how much you mean to me. I can't imagine what things would be like if I hadn't met you."

Rose gave him a look of worry, "Scorpius I…" But her words were cut off by Scorpius raising his hands and cupping her face gently, a smile still lingering on his lips as he looked at her.

"I just need to say one more thing. One thing that I have been keeping from you for far too long." Rose stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide as she looked up at the boy in front of her, saying things that made her heart melt and her knees want to give out. Then he spoke and Rose closed her eyes against the words.

"I love you."

Rose took a breath and attempted to pull away, but Scorpius only followed, "I know you said we are just friends, but that is how I feel. And it's so exhausting holding this secret away from you. I can't hide it, everyone is starting to notice, and I know when we go home my parents are going to notice too. I wanted you to be the first person I told. You deserve to know."

When Rose didn't say anything right away Scorpius let out a small breath and took a step back, closing his eyes and running a hand down his face. The hall was deafeningly quiet, the fireworks had ended there was no noise other than their breathing and the soft noises that were made by the old castle. Rose put her head in her hands for a moment, trying to breathe.

Lifting her head a little, but still looking at the ground she softly whispered, "you know I can't give you the answer you want right?"

"I don't care about that," he replied, "I am perfectly happy being your friend. There was a time I thought I wouldn't even have that."

Rose looked up at him, seeing that his eyes were already on her. She searched his feelings trying to determine if he really meant what he said. Could he really be content with just a friendship? But as she entered his mind she took a breath at the new emotion swirling around. Rose felt her eyes tear up a little at the overwhelming feeling of love she felt from him. His eyes were set and unabashed as he felt her in his mind and felt her shake at just how true his words had been.

Rose didn't know how he had managed to keep his feelings from her. Sure, she had suspected that maybe he had feelings for her, but the amount of love he had for her was beyond anything Rose had thought anyone could feel.

"I need some time to think about this," Rose said softly and she moved forward and reached for his hand, "is that ok?"

Scorpius softly smiled at her, "Take all the time you need. There is no need to rush."

Not knowing what quite to do next but knowing that she had to do something, Rose did the first thing that came to mind. Moving forward she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, letting it linger for a moment, trying to tell him with only that how much she appreciated everything he had done for her.

His arms wrapped around her waist and Rose sighed as she hugged him back. Both knowing words could not say enough at that moment, they stayed like that for a long while, just holding each other, neither knowing that the other was smiling.


End file.
